Lightbox
Bronze Award
The Great Indian Dunk
NBA India
United Arab Emirates
2026
Share:
Facebook Linkedin X WhatsApp

Entrant Company
Leo UAE
Entry Type
Product/Service
Launch Country
India
Program
Clio Awards 2026
Medium Type
Professional
Medium
Film Craft
Category
Cinematography
In a country where cricket owns the streets, basketball felt aspirational, foreign, and distant. But what if it wasn’t? What if the NBA’s most iconic dunks weren’t thousands of miles away - but already alive in the instinctive movements of a billion Indians? With no stars, no studios, and a sub-$15,000 budget, we captured moments of everyday flight across India - fishermen leaping into rivers, kids vaulting rooftops, workers in mid-air. Movements that mirrored the NBA’s greatest dunks. We didn’t script anything - we simply observed what had been hiding in plain sight. The campaign reignited grassroots energy, drove conversation, and built relevance for basketball in a cricket-dominated nation. It made the sport feel less like an import and more like an instinct. We didn’t just tell India the game belonged here. We showed them it was already in their blood. Through a beautiful cinematic journey across India, we recreated 4 of the NBA’s most famous player’s dunks, in an authentic Indian way. The famous Jordan dunk was set against the stunning backdrop of the Taj Mahal. Shaq’s slamdunk was captured in the deserts of Rajasthan. Kobe’s superdunk was filmed in the holy city of Benares and Lebron’s iconic dunk was shot in Mumbai’s Gate Way of India. Turning these dunks into a nationwide campaign to find India's next basketball star. The cinematography of this black-and-white film is a striking blend of elegance and intensity. Shot across India’s diverse terrains, it uses contrast, shadow, and texture to elevate each dunk into a visual sculpture. Wide shots capture the grandeur of landscapes, while slow-motion close-ups highlight the athletic grace of each move. Natural light and carefully framed compositions give every scene a timeless, almost mythic quality. The absence of color focuses attention on movement, form, and emotion, turning iconic basketball moments into pure, cinematic poetry.
Credits
Advertising Agency
Leo UAE
Dubai
Advertiser / Brand
NBA India
Mumbai
Advertising Agency
Leo UAE
Dubai
Advertising Agency
Leo Constellation
Dubai
Holding Company
Publicis Groupe
Dubai
Production Company
Big Kahuna Films
Dubai
Production Company
Jumping Jack Films
Mumbai
Executive Creative Director
Muhammad Ali
Leo UAE
Head of Marketing and Communications
Murtuza Madraswala
NBA India
Chief Executive Officer
Bassel Kakish
Publicis Groupe MENAT
Chief Creative Officer
Kalpesh Patankar
Leo UAE
Chief Strategy Officer
Tahaab Rais
Publicis Groupe
Creative Director
Divyan Kriplani
LEO UAE
Chief Executive Officer
Nathalie Gevresse
Publicis Communications Gulf
Chief Executive Officer
Nadim Ghrayeb
Leo Gulf
Executive Creative Director
Muhammad Ali
Leo UAE
Creative Director
Kapil Bhimekar
Leo UAE
Creative Director
Farhan Siddiqui
Leo UAE
Art Director
Mohammed Sharique
Leo UAE
Editor
AlAjhar Hussain
Leo UAE
Director
Prashant Godbole
Big Kahuna Films
Director of Photography
Tassaduq Hussain Mufti
Big Kahuna Films
Executive Producer
Kapil Tyagi
Jumping Jack Films
Head of Strategy & Insights
Aakriti Goel
Leo UAE
Head of Production
Shereen Mostafa
Publicis Groupe
Producer
Upasana Kumar
Publicis Communications Gulf
Producer
SURBHI DHYANI
Jumping Jack Films
Editor
Shahnawaz Mosani
Jumping Jack Films
Composer
Raghav and Arjun
Raghav and Arjun
Head of Marketing and Communications
Murtuza Madraswala
NBA India
Senior Manager - Brand and Digital Marketing
Rahul Palan
NBA India
Duplicate statues available now
Buy a Statue in Film Craft to Celebrate Your Team