A recent ad from British Airways struck an emotional chord with viewers. It featured Alka Dubey in Mumbai preparing a dish for her son in New York. She thinks the airline is going to serve as transoceanic Dabbawalla, getting lunch to her son in New York City. Unknown to her, the son is making his way to Mumbai to visit her for the first time in years. Ratnesh Dubey is the son, a New York-based actor and comedian who has lived in the United States for over fifteen years.
Here’s what we loved about the ad.
1. The Mum. Dubey’s mother is so sweet. Keep some tissue handy for when she talks about how much she misses him and walks through Mumbai’s streets gathering ingredients for the special dish she plans to make for his tiffin.
2. The Other Mum. As Ratnesh shares his memories of Mumbai, the city is portrayed though a picturesque montage of scenes of the local train, the sea, gajras (garlands), kids playing street-cricket and more. It makes us wish we could book that ticket to Mumbai now.
3. New York. The ad draws some interesting comparisons between Mumbai and New York, with scenes of cabs and trains in both cities. Viewers intrigued by these juxtapositions may enjoy the parallel visuals presented in photographer Nisha Sondhe’s series “Mumbai v. New York.”
4. Got Okra? Skift’s Rafat Ali writes that the recipe for the dish cooked up in the five-minute film by O&M New York is available on an accompanying site. It comes with personalized notes about how Ratnesh likes his bhindi. Crispy, spiced okra isn’t just tasty, it can be healthy too. Food scientist Kantha Shelke provides information on the vegetable’s nutrients in this recent article from TIME.
Pavani Yalamanchili is a co-founder and editor of The Aerogram. Follow her on Twitter at @_pavani or email her at editors@theaerogram.com.
Oof. Can British Air fly me to the U.S. to see my mum?