To celebrate 30 years of Hyundai in India and 28 years of its association with Shah Rukh Khan, Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has revisited its iconic SANTRO Xing “Mr. Kim” campaign with a new film developed in partnership with its creative agency, INNOCEAN India. The campaign recreates key elements of the original storyline while bringing it into the present through the Hyundai CRETA ICE and the all electric IONIQ 5.
Since going live, the film has garnered around 25 million views with a 35% View Through Rate across Meta and YouTube, demonstrating strong audience interest in the campaign. The response underscores the enduring relevance of nostalgia in an increasingly cluttered media environment, where familiar brand memories can create an immediate connection with audiences.
Building on the strong recall of Hyundai’s SANTRO “Mr. Kim” campaign and its association with Shah Rukh Khan, INNOCEAN India and Hyundai have used this advertising heritage to mark 30 years in India, while connecting the brand’s legacy with its evolving portfolio and future direction.
By drawing on Hyundai’s advertising heritage, the campaign connects the brand’s long standing association with Indian consumers and Shah Rukh Khan to its evolution over three decades. The CRETA ICE and IONIQ 5 are introduced within this familiar narrative, linking Hyundai’s established brand equity with its current product portfolio.
The staged reveal, which initially suggests an end to the association before leading into the IONIQ 5, also reflects the brand’s broader shift towards electric mobility, bringing the relationship story and product story together.
The campaign uses the reveal itself as part of the narrative, building suspense through a phone call from Hyundai Motor India Managing Director Tarun Garg, a “network drop” and what initially appears to be a break in the association with Shah Rukh Khan.
The story then circles back to the original SANTRO Xing film, using familiar cues for audiences who remember the campaign while keeping the narrative accessible to newer viewers. The central idea is that long standing relationships evolve with time, reflected in Hyundai and Shah Rukh Khan’s journey from the SANTRO to the CRETA and now the IONIQ 5.
“Thirty years in India is more than a milestone for Hyundai, it is a celebration of enduring trust and meaningful relationships. This campaign brings together Shah Rukh Khan, who is associated with Hyundai since the beginning, with the unexpected presence of our Managing Director to create a story that is both authentic and deeply human.
While it honours our journey over the past three decades, it also reflects Hyundai’s vision for the future, driven by innovation, smart mobility and an unwavering commitment to enriching the lives of our customers,” said Mr. Virat Khullar, Head, Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Limited.
Jaeho (Jaden) Yoo, CEO & Managing Director, INNOCEAN India, added, “Thirty years is a hard number to do justice to in a single film, especially with a brand and a face as loved as Shah Rukh Khan’s. Our starting point wasn’t ‘let’s create a nostalgia campaign’ – it was ‘how do we make people feel the weight of three decades without it feeling like a history lesson.’ For us, that’s the job of good creative in a moment like this: not just to inform people that thirty years have passed, but to make them feel genuinely happy that they have.”
Santosh Kumar, COO, INNOCEAN India, said, “Once we had that thought, the challenge became structural – how do we build a story that had warmth, a bit of drama, and genuinely felt like it belonged to Hyundai and Shah Rukh Khan’s own journey. Building the campaign let us do exactly that – create a moment of real curiosity first, and then land the actual celebration with impact. It’s a good example of thinking about a milestone as a piece of storytelling craft, not just a moment to mark.”
The creative development began with a revisit of the original SANTRO Xing script and its defining elements, including the “Mr. Kim” exchange, the “contract is now over” line, the surfboard and the film’s distinctive dialogue rhythm. INNOCEAN India worked closely with Hyundai’s marketing team to identify which elements could be retained and reinterpreted for the present day. This approach allowed the nostalgia to function as part of the narrative structure rather than as an additional reference layered onto the campaign.
The campaign reflects INNOCEAN India’s approach to culture led storytelling, bringing together creativity, technology and consumer insight. By revisiting a familiar piece of advertising history, the campaign connects Hyundai’s legacy with its evolving story in India and its long standing association with Shah Rukh Khan.
