Nirma has rolled out a new film for its legacy detergent brand, Nirma Advance, attempting to craft a fresh chapter for one of India’s most recognisable advertising jingles. Rooted in the brand’s over 50-year-old legacy, the campaign leans heavily on nostalgia while gesturing at a more contemporary tone. 

Titled ‘Tujhsa hi Nirma hai’, (Nirma - just like you) the film positions itself as a modern reimagining of a brand narrative that has long been embedded in Indian advertising memory. The film retains the memorable verses of the original Nirma jingle while introducing new lyrics aimed at bridging the past with the present, with singers Daler Mehndi and Vaishali Samant lending their voices to the updated rendition.

Crafted by Boing Brandvertising, the creative agency led by adman and filmmaker Anand Karir, the TVC was shot across Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab over a 16-day schedule.

What we think about it: Despite montages that showcase women and girls engaged in seemingly ‘progressive’ pursuits, the narrative remains firmly anchored in the dated trope of women as the sole custodians of laundry, a positioning that feels increasingly tone-deaf in today’s cultural context. The campaign ultimately circles back to its dated construct of  'Hema, Rekha, Jaya aur Sushma' popularised by the brand decades ago, thus making it a glaring case of missed opportunity that merely repackages old tropes with glossy production values and surface-level cues of empowerment - undermined by a regressive core insight.

Anand Karir, founder and chief creative, Boing Brandvertising said, “After 2 years of relentless hard work, countless late nights, endless discussions, and a dream that refused to fade… our new Nirma Advance film is finally out in the world. Nirma isn’t just a brand, it’s an emotion we all grew up with. So getting to work on this iconic jingle was both a privilege and a responsibility for me as well as the team. So at Boing Brandvertising, we wrote version after version. We recorded 5–6 different jingle cuts with different music directors before we found the one that gave all of us goosebumps. From there, the journey only grew bigger. The film was shot over a 16-day shoot schedule across Kerala, Himachal, and Punjab, capturing the spirit of everyday India. Finally, the icing on the cake were the two great voices that added soul and swagger to the jingle - Daler Mehndi, connecting instantly with today’s youth and Vaishali Samant, bringing the warmth which has been the hallmark of the original jingle. The new hook line ‘Tujhsa hi Nirma hai’ captures that spirit of this film beautifully.”

He further added, “At Boing, we believe stories should win hearts, not just awards. Whether it’s creating the memorable Finolex Fan commercial where a fan carries a pickle jar to space, or directing my Marathi feature film ‘Aapdi Thaapdi’, I’ve always tried to stretch the audience’s imagination while staying rooted in human emotions. This new Nirma film carries the same philosophy.”