Colgate, Zee5 launch film on man who teaches underprivileged kids, as part of ‘Smile karo aur shuru ho jao' initiative

Student-teacher relationship has been recognised as bedrock for society and is celebrated since time immemorial. The scriptures of Mahabharata narrate one of the most enlightening stories of the relationship between Ekalavya and his guru, Shri Dronacharya. Even today, Teacher’s Day continues to be celebrated with a lot of emotion between teachers and their students in schools and colleges. Despite the ongoing pandemic, Teacher’s Day was celebrated virtually, with the same spirit and respect.

Considering a virtual celebration, this year Colgate-Palmolive partnered with Zee5 to convey Colgate’s Teacher’s Day campaign. Through the collaboration, Zee5 broadcast an inspiring real-life story of Sujit Chattopadhyay, a 76-year-old retired school teacher, a story of optimism driving transformational change in children’s lives.

Under Colgate India’s equity campaign ‘Smile karo aur shuru ho jao’, which champions optimism and showcases real-life moments of everyday heroes through the transformational power of a smile, the story, created and conceptualised by Zee5, depicted the journey of Sujit Chattopadhyay. Being a resident of a small village a few hours away from Kolkata, and despite having little to no resources, Sujit fulfilled his dream of educating hundreds of underprivileged children from nearby villages and forest lands, by converting his veranda into a school for the eager students. Through his inspiring story, the campaign highlighted that the power of optimism can transform lives and create something significant when nothing seems possible.

Arvind Chintamani, Vice-President, Marketing, Colgate-Palmolive (India), said, “On this Teacher’s Day, Colgate-Palmolive is glad to partner with Zee5 in honouring Sujit Chattopadhyay, affectionately known as Master Moshai, who has dedicated his life to empower underprivileged children with the knowledge and to ensure that they have a future that they can smile about. We at Colgate salute his unrelenting spirit and optimism — Smile karo aur shuru ho jao.”

Rajeev Dhal, Chief Revenue Officer, Zee5 India, said, “Zee5 has established itself as a brand favourite when it comes to reaching out to a vast segment of the audience. The collaboration with Colgate is a part of our influencer-led, content marketing tool Ampli5. This state-of-the-art tool stemming from Zee5 Ads has been instrumental in helping various leading brands improve their sales conversions and reach by executing high-impact campaigns. We have created the asset for Colgate as a part of our Ad-Suite portfolio to boost the brand’s reach while creating awareness around the messaging in an effective way.”

The digital film:

Colgate’s Smile karo aur shuru ho jao campaign was launched last year and has narrated inspiring stories of Haimanti Sen, the 22-year-old college student who turned a skywalk into a classroom for the underprivileged; Anand Arnold, the first Indian wheelchair bodybuilder, and that of Yashasvi Jaiswal, the youngest Indian to score a double century in the history of 'List A' Cricket.