Everybody, in their life journey, has witnessed multiple SMB research interviews and met some really amazing business owners. One thing that always shines out from the conversations we have with them is their pure, unadulterated grit. This one magic word (Grit) is the fuel that empowers their hustle, fuels their growth and helps them to weather every storm.

Microsoft wanted to showcase a heartfelt tale honouring love, empathy, dedication, and the growth of small business owners, accompanied by Microsoft’s unwavering support, serving clients one at a time.

The idea was to capture one of the owners’ stories of making dreams come true with the help of technology that empowers her team to be creative, collaborative, productive and inclusive.

In collaboration with Team Utopians, we embraced the idea of Microsoft Teams’ capability to facilitate face-to-face meetings from personal spaces. We were convinced to showcase the “Work From Home” concept. Each character was assigned their unique space and device, not only delving into their personalities but also highlighting MS Teams’ versatility across various devices. 

This approach explored the characters’ backgrounds and work environments, emphasising the platform’s adaptability and seamless functionality, while also connecting with audiences who have experienced remote work scenarios.

The theme effectively conveyed the practical benefits of Teams, showcasing its ability to enable effective communication and collaboration from any location or across any age group.

The film opens within a drawing room where Kaustav sits on his desk, opens and adjusts his laptop screen before joining the call. The Wedding Works team is already having a discussion. 

The characters are introduced as the wedding planning team composed of young, brilliant, and enthusiastic people, each with a distinct personality feature. Pankaj Kapur portrays the elderly couple in a way that is appropriate, expressing his passion and love for his wife and capturing the spirit of being amorous even after 27 years of marriage. Each character has a personal area that represents who they are as people. From Saurav, the moody one, who has his own calm zone, to Pihu, the team leader, who has a very formal and appropriate personal space. The elderly client couple had a house which is traditional but with a touch of modernity.

The wedding planning team chooses very early on in the film to highlight the love the couple has for one another rather than the couple’s age.  The reference of the production design was done with a detailed storyboard keeping in mind the individual spaces of each character and a morning wedding, significant to being convenient for the couple at their old age.

All the elements in the frame added subtle colours and with the incorporation of  the DDLJ theme, the light hues complemented the property’s expansive grounds appropriately.

The colour palette is essentially warm with a sombre sophisticated undertone to it for the characters and their individual spaces whereas the palette for the wedding sequence is rather bright, however matte depicting the mature love of the old couple.

The lighting theme emphasises subtlety, making the most of natural lighting for the morning wedding setting. Even indoor scenes utilised natural lighting, capitalising on the abundance of daylight to create a natural and authentic atmosphere throughout the film.

There are scenes that are taken during night light as well to capture the hustle and bustle of the team to put together the show that has everyone’s hearts.

The costume styling is planned, considering the nature of MS Teams meetings, where a casual yet appealing style language is embraced. Each participant dresses professionally yet comfortably, striking the right balance.

The focus is on creating an attractive and comfortable look that aligns perfectly with the work-from-home culture, embodying professionalism without sacrificing comfort.

From emotional at the first discussion to intense throughout the preparation stage when plans altered, the music gradually progresses until finishing with a subdued tone of DDLJ playing in the background as Pankaj Kapur delivers a VO. The soundtrack moves with the picture, adding to its complexity and narrative significance.