Imperial Blue revived 'Men Will Be Men' with women in on the joke

Revive 'Because, Men Will Be Men', an advertising platform with deep cultural recognition, for a younger generation and changed relationship dynamics — the first such campaign under new owner Tilaknagar Industries.

Reunite the iconic lift setting with exaggerated 'Mennisms' — everyday male quirks played for laughs — while women characters now drive the joke instead of watching it.

A film directed by Roopali Singhal through DejaVu Films, starring Aaron Kaul, Kaveri Seth and Anant Joshi, created with agency 82.5 Grey's team under CMO Ahmed Rahimtoola and SVP marketing Ishwindar Singh.

No media or sales numbers disclosed; the campaign marks the first Imperial Blue water work under Tilaknagar and is built to carry the franchise's equity to younger audiences while supporting growth.

Imperial Blue Packaged Drinking Water, from Tilaknagar Industries, has revived its long-running advertising platform 'Because, Men Will Be Men', bringing its observational humour about everyday male behaviour to a new generation. The new film returns to the franchise's iconic lift setting, using familiar situations and playful storytelling to highlight the quirky, well-intentioned and sometimes imperfect habits of men.

The creative centres on what the brand calls 'Mennisms' — exaggerated but relatable moments — while updating the social mechanics: director Roopali Singhal's film portrays women as active participants in the humour rather than simply observers, reflecting changing relationships while keeping the franchise's distinctive wit. The cast features Aaron Kaul (Namacool, Almost Together), Kaveri Seth (Gulmohar, A Suitable Boy) and Anant Joshi (12th Fail).

It is the first Imperial Blue Packaged Drinking Water campaign under Tilaknagar. CMO Ahmed Rahimtoola framed it as building on established equity while reaching younger audiences; SVP marketing Ishwindar Singh credited the brand team, agency 82.5 Grey (with contributors including Kiran Ramamurthy and Anuraag Khandelwal), Singhal and production house DejaVu Films.

The franchise carries years of cultural recognition, so a revival starts with familiarity instead of building awareness from zero.

Audience expectations around gender and relationships have shifted, so the same behaviours needed a new framing to stay likeable rather than dated.

As Tilaknagar's first campaign for the water brand, it had to signal continuity of the brand's equity while marking the new owner's era.

Reviving a famous platform means updating who the joke is about: keep the setting and the wit, but move the punchline's target and let the other side play along.

The campaign launched in October 2026 across the brand's channels; no performance figures have been reported.