Axis Bank has rolled out a campaign ‘#MotherTonguelish’ to highlight the brand’s effort to champion Indians across dialects and accents, marking International Mother Language Day on 21 February.

Conceptualised by Curatavity, the campaign consists of an ad film.

The film opens with an Axis Bank employee asking his boss if the loan form is available; though he speaks in English, his mother-tongue accent comes through. Instead of correcting him, the boss responds in the same accent, saying it doesn’t matter, and playfully shares the many ways Indians pronounce 'form.' She adds that our accents carry our mother tongues and make our English authentic. The film then shows employees and customers speaking in their own dialects and accents, and a new recruit anxious about not speaking fluent English is reassured that his passion matters more. It closes by linking this sentiment to the bank’s ‘Dil Se Open’ philosophy.

What we think about it: The film lacks a strong narrative continuity, unfolding more as a series of moments than a cohesive story. That said, its message on linguistic inclusivity lands with warmth and sincerity, keeping the emotional core firmly on point.

The campaign was rolled out across social media platforms on 21 February.