Apple and Raw Mango have marked Diwali with Step Into the Light, a new Shot on iPhone film directed by Raw Mango founder Sanjay Garg. It was filmed entirely on iPhone 18 Pro at Tijara Fort-Palace, a restored 19th-century royal palace in Rajasthan, and features actor Juhi Chawla.
A film about light on the darkest night
The film is built around a folk interpretation of Anu Malik’s ’90s song “Roop Suhana Lagta Hai”, and follows dancers from the Big Dance Centre troupe as they move from darkness into light, in choreography that blends traditional and contemporary styles. “Diwali, for me, is the biggest festival of the year,” says Garg. “It represents a change in weather where we welcome winter in the company of people we love.”
The wardrobe draws on textile traditions from across the subcontinent, from Mashru and Varanasi brocades to Chanderi, in colours chosen to echo the new iPhone. The collaboration comes in a big year for Raw Mango, which Garg founded in 2008 and which showed at London Fashion Week for the first time earlier this year.
Shot in low light
Because light is at the heart of Diwali, much of the film was shot in low light. According to Apple, the iPhone 18 Pro’s 48MP Fusion Main camera is the first on iPhone with a variable aperture, opening to ƒ/1.48 in dim conditions, while smart focus tracking keeps each dancer sharp as they move through the frame.
The setting: Tijara Fort-Palace
For travellers, the film is also a lovely look at Tijara Fort-Palace, in what was once the princely state of Alwar. Work on the palace began in 1835 under Maharaja Balwant Singh but was left unfinished, and the ruins lay forgotten for decades. Neemrana Hotels spent around ten years restoring it, and it opened to guests as a heritage hotel in 2016, complete with its hanging gardens. Today it is a popular weekend getaway from Delhi.
The credits
Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab (India). Creators: Raw Mango. Director: Sanjay Garg. Production: April Studios. Post-production: Raw Mango and Heckler. Editing: Anupam Sarkar. Director of photography: Janamejaya Daroz.
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Image courtesy of Apple.
The Daily Brunch editorial team, led by co-founder Anju Anna Alex, has written about luxury hotels, restaurants, chefs and travel across India and beyond since 2016, with stories told through the people behind them.
