Founded on 1 May 2011, Offroad Films began its journey in a tiny office above an auto repair shop, a fittingly unconventional start for a company named Offroad. Nearly 15 years later, while the advertising and production landscape has evolved significantly over 10 years, the company’s core belief remains unchanged: every project must begin with the strength of the idea.

For founder and CEO, Khalil Bachooali, the hierarchy of filmmaking is clear. He shared, “It must start with the idea. Not the director, not the actor. It starts with the brand and the story.”

That principle shapes both the company’s culture and its approach to filmmaking. A core tenet of Offroad Films is an uncompromising commitment to authenticity, remaining true to the idea, the craft, the process, the objective, and to themselves. It is a standard the company fiercely protects and refuses to compromise.

Today, Offroad Films operates with a team of 21 full-time employees, including four full-time producers, each supported by their own dedicated team. Several members of the team have been part of the Offroad journey for more than a decade, reflecting the culture of trust, continuity, and collaboration the company has built over the years.

This structure allows the production house to remain agile while maintaining a sharp focus on both creative and operational excellence. The company’s creative model is built around the belief that production is not merely an execution function but a strategic one. Offroad Films sees advertising producers as marketers and creative problem-solvers first, with filmmaking serving as a means to solve communication and business challenges.

This perspective also informs how the company views its role in client partnerships. Rather than simply responding to briefs, Offroad Films encourages clients to share the business challenges behind them.

Bachooali believes that a deeper understanding of the problem often leads to stronger and more effective creative solutions.

“We like our clients to be themselves. We strive to come alongside their journey. We encourage our clients to share their business pain points while we work hard to build trust as we develop creative solutions that address them. Advertising producers are marketers and creative problem-solvers first and foremost. We are not indulgent filmmakers,” said Bachooali.

For Offroad Films, one of the most defining aspects of its identity is its belief that craft and effectiveness should never be viewed as competing priorities.

The production house considers both equally important and entirely non-negotiable. A film must not only be beautifully made but also deliver meaningful outcomes for the brand it represents. Equally important is a culture that values and respects every person and every contribution involved in the filmmaking process. Nothing and no one is taken for granted.

That philosophy has informed a body of work that includes campaigns such as Dove: Reclaim Your Curls, Vicks: Touch of Care, Gatorade: Turf Finder, Whisper: Missing Chapter, and Lakmé: Rouge Bloom. Several of these projects have gone on to earn recognition at the Cannes Lions, reinforcing the company’s belief that impactful work can achieve both creative excellence and commercial effectiveness.

As technology continues to reshape creative industries, Offroad Films has embraced AI as a tool for expanding creative possibilities rather than replacing human thinking.

According to Bachooali, AI is helping push the boundaries of imagination by enabling exploration of film treatments and visual approaches that may never have been considered before. The technology is also being used to test concepts and challenge first principles during the creative process.

He shared, “We constantly remind ourselves that the authenticity of raw human emotion and intuition cannot be replaced by a perspective based on an algorithm.”

As the production landscape continues to evolve, Offroad Films remains committed to the belief that the strongest work emerges when creativity, strategy, and execution work together. By putting ideas at the centre of every project and treating effectiveness as seriously as craft, the company continues to build films that resonate with audiences while delivering meaningful value to brands.

This article was part of a special focus on Indian independent creative companies circulated alongside Manifest's June issue, which can be bought here.

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