McDonald's India launched the Chicken Big Mac by making Sehwag forgettable

Dramatise the filling size, indulgence and iconic stature of an international product arriving in West and South India for the first time.

A 25-second TVC of hilarious misrememberings — the names people 'recall' instead of Sehwag are strange and bizarre — as the cricketer moves from confusion to annoyance to finally giving up, playing his big, bold, playful persona against the burger's global fame.

No performance numbers in the source; the launch carried the limited-time Chicken Big Mac across restaurants, McDelivery, takeaway, dine-in and drive-thru in West and South India.

In January 2023, McDonald's India West and South — owned and operated by Westlife Foodworld — launched the Chicken Big Mac in India after its global success, and roped in swashbuckling former Indian captain Virender Sehwag for the campaign. The thought, from agency DDB Mudra: 'Chicken Big Mac ke saamne har Big Name bhool jaaoge' — in front of the Chicken Big Mac, you will forget every big name.

The 25-second TVC dramatises exactly that: several hilarious instances of people forgetting Sehwag's name, with the names they 'recall' instead described as quite strange and bizarre — certainly not 'Sehwag'. The opening batsman cycles from confused to annoyed to finally giving up, a range the release called unintentionally funny and memorable. Arvind R.P., senior director of marketing and communications, said the goal was to dramatize the burger's filling size and indulgence and bring alive its iconic stature, calling Sehwag's 'big, bold, and playful personality' a perfect fit.

The product itself carried the 'icon vs icon' premise: an 11-layered burger with 3-tier buns, two crispy golden patties, shredded lettuce, cheese, secret sauce and gherkins, free from artificial flavours and colours, sold as a limited-time offering alongside the Chicken and Veg Maharaja Mac. Pallavi Chakravarti, creative head West at DDB Mudra, framed it plainly: an international icon with fans across the world deserved 'a campaign just as iconic'.

Cricketers are India's default celebrity shortcut, so casting Sehwag guaranteed instant recognition — and the joke needed a face big enough to deflate.

Self-deprecation made the product the hero: the burger's fame does the bragging, so the copy never has to.

A limited-time offering thrives on talkability, and 'people forgetting Sehwag' is a premise that survives retelling without the film.

Launch an import by borrowing local icon equity — then comically subordinating it to the product's own fame.

The Chicken Big Mac rolled out across West and South India as a limited-time offering, available on McDelivery, for takeaway and dine-in, and at drive-thrus, backed by the Sehwag TVC.