Charli Cohen: Eshna Kutty

Fashion brand Charli Cohen and viral hula hooper Eshna Kutty have just rolled out a dynamic campaign, from Great Guns director Karel van Bellingen. The film is set in a bare building, light streaming in through rows of windows against which Eshna is silhouetted, clad in Charli Cohen. As the music kicks in, she begins to dance with impressive command over a blue LED hoop, her vibrant energy defying the emptiness around her. The fluidity of her movements are matched only by the spinning and swerving of the camera, transforming the viewer into a part of the action. Director Karel initially met Eshna years back in Mumbai, quickly discovering they shared a creative vision. As she recently toured internationally, the pair were finally able to coordinate and collaborate for Charli Cohen, finding Eshna’s energy to be the perfect compliment to the cool and confident brand. Working direct-to-brand alongside in-house creatives, Karel was afforded the freedom to pursue his idea and handle directing, editing, and music. Karel chose to set the film within a vast, decaying building, wanting to establish a contrast between the futurism of Charli Cohen activewear, LED hoops, and Eshna’s dancing, and the cavernous environment surrounding them. It needed to strike the balance between being spacious, to allow room for the dance, and oppressive, looming over Eshna. The opposition lends sole focus to Eshna while also transforming her dance into an escape from its darkness, filling it with an energy and joy that can scarcely be contained.