Tata Gluco+ — 'Space Bus' Film
Client: Tata Consumer Products
★ 50-ft custom space bus set | Motorised miniature rocket | Studio build, no CGI shortcuts
Overview
Avakkai Studio produced a satirical sci-fi comedy for Tata Gluco+ featuring a 50-foot custom-built space bus interior and a motorised miniature rocket — all constructed practically in a Chennai studio. The film follows an alien youth crew stranded on a dead spacebus who down Tata Gluco+, churn the wheels back to life, and launch into the cosmos. No shortcuts, no stock footage — just real mechanics, real scale, and real production craft. The punchline earned it: 'This story has a lot of gas, but Tata Gluco+ is Gas Minus, Energy Plus.'
Brief
Tata Consumer Products, building on the success of the ‘Hidden Temple’ film, needed another standout commercial for Tata Gluco+ that would continue the satirical, larger-than-life campaign universe. The creative concept, developed by Wunderman Thompson, Delhi, was a sci-fi spoof: a space tour bus selling the one thing every passenger actually wants — the ride home.
The challenge was tonal. Aliens, a dead spacebus, a churn-it-back-to-life rescue — all of it primed for slapstick. The brief held the line the same way it did with the ocean film: play it straight, let the premise carry the absurdity, keep performances grounded so the comedy sits in the concept and the punchline, not in mugging for the camera.
Our Concept & Approach
Avakkai Studio created a satirical sci-fi fantasy that follows the same universe and wink as the ‘Hidden Temple’ film — this time swapping Samudra Manthan for intergalactic adventure. The product does the churning, the fantasy does the selling, and the punchline ties it all back to earth.
The Core Idea: A satirical space-tour bus won’t start. Enter the alien youth on board: they down Tata Gluco+, churn the wheels back to life, and the bus fires up into a full launch. Sci-fi spoof and product energy, fused into one fantasy.
Production Highlights:
- 50-Foot Space Bus Interior: A massive cross-section of the bus interior was built practically in a Chennai studio — real scale, real mechanics, nothing faked in post
- Motorised Miniature Rocket: A miniature rocket was engineered to actually launch on cue, timed to the beat of the story rather than stitched together after the fact
- Pure Craft: No location, no stock footage, no CGI shortcuts. The entire film was a studio production from the ground up
- Set Design Excellence: Talent, lighting, and camera work were all choreographed around this purpose-built environment
Credits
Client: Tata Consumer Products — Tata Gluco+
Production: Avakkai Studio
Creative Agency: Wunderman Thompson, Delhi
Format: Satirical comedy TVC for YouTube
Location: Chennai Studio
Set: 50-foot space bus interior cross-section + motorised miniature rocket
Outcome & Results
The campaign delivered outstanding creative impact, proving that wacky concepts deserve real production investment:
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Practical Production Excellence: Nothing about the spacebus was faked in post. A 50-foot cross-section of the interior was built practically, alongside a motorised miniature rocket engineered to actually launch on cue — real scale, real mechanics, timed to the beat of the story
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Tonal Discipline: By keeping performances grounded and letting the absurdity sit in the premise and punchline, the film avoided slapstick — landing as clever, self-aware satire
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Campaign Universe Expansion: The film continued the ‘Gas Minus, Energy Plus’ narrative thread from the ‘Hidden Temple’ film, creating a cohesive campaign universe with the same DNA: a story built specifically to earn its own punchline
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Production Craft: The film stands as proof that wacky concepts deserve real production investment — a studio production from the ground up with no compromise on quality
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Earned the Punchline: The entire film was built to deliver the payoff: “This story has a lot of gas, but Tata Gluco+ is Gas Minus, Energy Plus.” The tale is deliberately, knowingly tall, so the punchline lands as a wink rather than a lecture