Rang de is India’s first ever social investing platform. A revolutionary venture aiming to provide easy, affordable loans to communities that wealthy banks often overlook.

Our founder Sumit Kumar has been a long-time investor in Rang De. This strongly inspired us to approach team Rang De with our idea. Our mission was to expand its social investor base (socially conscious lenders), especially attract the youth who share mutual concern towards under-served communities.

With Rang De’s goals and target audience in mind, we got down to researching about the financial industry, social investing, and microfinancing. With these insights, we set out to create some magic in 2D!

 This project is very dear to us as we want more people to seek Rang De and transform rural India through social investing. With our short films – we believe we have done our bit, just like Rang De does every day.

Here is how it happened:

We realized that the youth of today is often looking for advanced options for financial investments. They are more aware socially and financially. 

Rangde specified that they wanted their rural microfinance format to be branded as a viable investment tool and not a charity site. And thus the character of Neha was born…

Naya Kya Hai:

Plot- 

The story features Neha, a young girl who is tired of being offered the same old options wherever she goes.  Her frustration is hilariously depicted and relief comes when the narrator introduces her to social investing platform, Rang De. 

Character design-

From sharp poses to exaggerated expressions, every detail was carefully crafted to make these characters pop. We have used the UPA-style characters – flat, graphic, and oozing with over-the-top flair and drama (because we love drama)!

Neha embodies a ‘Career-first!’ spirit with confident poses reflecting various moods. She also gives off a strong energy of boredom and drudgery with her eyelids drooping and her face mostly making the poker face. Neha’s body language conveys the intended message to the viewer.

The Shoe Sales Manager maintains composure while juggling customer demands. This manager depicts our average sales person that is pushy and persuasive and bent on making a sale!

The Waiter, unbothered and bored, mechanically recites the menu. Unlike our other sales managers, he remains stiff. With hands behind his back, cloth on his shoulder, and oiled middle-parted hair, he chants the menu like a mantra until Neha breaks the routine with her iconic ‘Naya kya hai’!

The old accountant is carefree and oblivious to Neha’s energy, lost in his own world. He gives off the air of a money-minded businessman who is only concerned with selling investment plans to Neha. He reflects the monotony and repetitive nature of film.

Backgrounds-

We brought the iconic UPA style to life in our backgrounds. We used flat, graphic shapes, rather than traditional realistic figures.

Using bold, simple lines and rich textures we tried to give off that unique hand-drawn, paper-cutout vibe. Each scene was crafted with its own distinct colour scheme, setting the mood for the narrative. 

And as the story unfolds, the evening takes a darker turn, mirroring the character’s growing anger. And then we unleash the brand colour, a vibrant and eye-catching bright yellow. This hue serves as a beacon, leading us to the stunning revelation of our product. Another crucial aspect was our extensive experimentation with lighting, strategically employed to highlight focal points with a captivating dramatic flair.

Blue whale:

Plot- 

Puneet, our protagonist who just received his salary, is wondering where to invest it. He receives suggestions from unconventional advisors but ultimately takes charge and decides to invest in rural entrepreneurs.

Character Design- 

We decided to keep the background and character styles consistent across the @wearerangde ad series, with a groovy retro color scheme and sharp vibrant caricatures

Inspired by a popular TV show and different games, we created the grand setting of Blue Whale and brought a touch of the aquarium to the film.

Our protagonist Puneet is a simple middle-class man. He has a lanky physique and wears a white banyan (vest) with shorts. He is a weary office-goer who spends his time watching random animal documentaries when he’s back home. The weariness and monotony is reflected by a cool blue color palette of the background.

As Puneet’s salary arrives, there is a 180’ change of air- yes a literal ‘hawa badal gayi’! His unique friends’ first step is to give him thoughtful monetary tips. They have sketches that match their unique personalities, from curious cloud fish to wise financial advisor fish. And the character voices, that’s where the fun is! The Blue Whale’s resonant voice, like the call of “Puneet…neet…neet…neet” adds a dash of comedy to the character.

Puneet’s transformation is something to behold! From a mundane office worker to his exciting Blue Whale adventure, we sweated the small stuff – new hairstyle, that stylish ear pin, the spark in his eyes, and of course, those trendy shades. 

The background now changes to a vibrant yellow which serves as a beacon of goodwill- Puneet is now going to invest in rural entrepreneurs!

Pitchers that come in one by one to ask for investment are all rural residents. Each such character is designed carefully keeping in mind their minute details and external traits. We have thus retained the original caricature designs topped with a flare of desi-ness!