“We Manufacture Emotions”: A Conversation with Ram Madhvani on Cinema, Advertising, AI, and the Power of Silence

Ram Madhvani is one of India’s most celebrated storytellers a filmmaker, ad creator, and showrunner with a National Award (Neerja), an International Emmy nomination (Aarya), and two Cannes Lions to his name. But he speaks less like a director and more like a philosopher in motion.

In this exclusive conversation, Ram reflects on everything from 30-second ads to AI’s creative impact and why he believes silence might just be the most powerful storytelling tool of all.

What does transformation mean to you in cinema versus advertising?

In cinema, transformation happens within the character. The story demands that they start one way and go through an arc a genuine change. That’s a law of storytelling. Without that evolution, there is no story.

But in advertising, the transformation often comes from outside. The brand itself becomes the catalyst. Think of a detergent ad: your clothes were dull, the product arrived, and now everything’s bright. It’s a transformation, but not internal it’s facilitated by a device.

In film, the change must come from lived experience. In advertising, it can be brand-led. That’s the key difference.

So what’s harder to crack — a 30-second ad or a full-length film?

Everything is hard. There’s no such thing as an easy format.

Budgets are tight across the board. In fact, I now prefer to work backwards I ask the client upfront, “How much do you have?” and then we create within those limits. I find that very freeing, actually.

Whether it’s a two-hour film or a 20-second spot, storytelling is messy. But constraint often sharpens creativity.

Emotional depth is a signature in your films and ads. What drives that?

I keep saying this I’m in the business of feelings.

Like someone manufactures tires or ball bearings, I manufacture emotions. That’s what I do  that’s what we all do as storytellers.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s an ad, a series, or a feature film if it doesn’t make someone feel something, then it hasn’t done its job.

You use silence powerfully in your storytelling. Is that intentional?

That’s such an interesting observation. I hadn’t really thought about it until you mentioned it — but yes, silence has become part of my toolkit.

In ads like Airtel, we use a sudden pause the music drops, and suddenly everyone pays attention. In Aarya or Neerja, I make sure there’s no background traffic in certain emotional moments. Just silence. Because we’re so used to noise, silence creates focus.

It’s like punctuation in language. Silence is a creative device as valid as AI or music. And yes, you could say… I manufacture silences too.

Can a good ad still work without a celebrity?

Absolutely. There are countless examples.

I recently saw an ad for British Airways that didn’t have any celebrity, and it was beautiful. I think Steel or Jimble also did something great without a big face.

Celebrities can help if used wisely, but they’re not mandatory. The idea should be strong enough to carry itself.

So where do you stand in the raw vs. AI-generated content debate?

We have to walk the walk. AI is here, it’s not going anywhere. I’m using it too  like all of us. But for me, it’s still a device.

Remember when TV arrived, they said theater would die. It didn’t. Then the Kindle came, and they said books would disappear. They didn’t.

AI will find its space. But I believe the emotional essence the human touch will remain irreplaceable.

So yes, we are experimenting with AI-generated content, and you’ll see it soon. But storytelling remains a human responsibility.

How do you decide what story is worth telling — a good one versus a necessary one?

For me, it has to be necessary.

I may not know whether it’s a good story when I begin. That depends on audience reaction. But I do need to feel that it has a reason to exist that I have something to say.

If the story doesn’t come from a place of necessity, then it risks being hollow, no matter how well-crafted it is. Necessary stories those are the ones I chase.

So what’s your message to young creatives navigating all this change?

Don’t be afraid of new tools. Use AI. Embrace silence. Work with budgets. Let go of ego. Stay emotional. Stay human.

Whether it’s 30 seconds or three hours, whether it’s a detergent or a drama remember, we’re not selling ideas. We’re manufacturing emotion.