When Manyavar released a wedding-themed campaign featuring Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma in October 2017, they had no idea what was about to happen. The ad showed the celebrity couple exchanging modern wedding vows at a friend’s ceremony. Two months later, Virat and Anushka actually got married in Italy. And suddenly, a simple ethnic wear commercial became one of the most brilliant marketing coups in Indian advertising history.
This wasn’t luck. This was strategy meeting timing meeting cultural insight in a way that transformed a Kolkata-based brand into a ₹32,000 crore empire that would IPO five years later at valuations that shocked the market.
Campaign Timeline:
- October 2017: “Naye Rishte Naye Vaadey” campaign launched (modern wedding vows)
- December 11, 2017: Virat-Anushka got married in Italy (2 months after campaign)
- 2016 revenue: ₹500 crore → 2020: ₹915 crore (83% growth)
- February 2022 IPO: ₹21,017 crore market cap
- April 2023: Ravi Modi worth $3B, company valued ₹32,000 crore
- Started with ₹10,000 borrowed from mother in 2002
The campaign featured Virat saying “I will cook for fifteen days in a month” and Anushka responding “I will eat it without complaining about its taste.” These modern vows tackled something Indian wedding advertising had always avoided: the reality that modern marriages required equal partnerships. Within 24 hours, the video had 1 million views and 15,000 shares.
The ₹500 Crore Brand That Bet on Cricket and Bollywood
The Bootstrapped Beginning
Manyavar wasn’t always a household name. Founded in 2002 by Ravi Modi with just ₹10,000 borrowed from his mother, the brand spent its first decade quietly building a network of ethnic wear stores across India. By 2016, they had grown to ₹500 crore in annual revenue, operating 450 stores across 173 cities. Profitable, bootstrapped, and completely debt-free with just ₹22 crore in liabilities.
But Ravi Modi knew something crucial: in India’s fragmented wedding wear market, brand recognition was everything. While giants like Raymond’s and Aditya Birla Group dominated formal menswear, the ethnic celebration wear segment remained largely unorganized. Manyavar saw an opportunity to own this space. Not just participate in it. Own it.
Company Foundation:
- 2002: Founded by Ravi Modi with ₹10,000 borrowed from mother
- Started as salesman at age 13 in father’s clothing store
- 2016: ₹500 crore revenue, ₹139 crore profit
- 450 stores across 173 cities
- Completely debt-free, bootstrapped
- Ethnic celebration wear segment largely unorganized
The Celebrity Strategy That Made Sense
In 2015, Manyavar signed Virat Kohli as brand ambassador. This wasn’t a random choice. Kohli represented everything the brand wanted to embody: modern Indian values, celebration of tradition, aspiration mixed with accessibility. His endorsement deal reportedly brought ₹15-20 crore annually to Kohli’s portfolio.
The brand understood its target market perfectly. Urban males, aged 25-35, passionate about cricket, getting married or attending weddings, looking for traditional wear that felt contemporary. Virat Kohli was that demographic personified. Manyavar went all in on cricket marketing, sponsoring three IPL teams in a single season: Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Strategic Celebrity Positioning:
- 2015: Signed Virat Kohli (₹15-20 crore annually)
- Target: Urban males 25-35, cricket-passionate, wedding market
- Kohli embodied modern Indian values + tradition
- Sponsored 3 IPL teams single season (KKR, Delhi, Sunrisers)
- October 2017: Paired Virat with Anushka for Mohey launch
- Timing: 2 months before couple would marry in Italy
The Campaign That Predicted a Wedding
The Modern Vows That Broke Convention
The “Naye Rishte Naye Vaadey” (New Relationships, New Promises) campaign launched in October 2017. Conceptualized by Shreyansh Innovations, directed by Shashank Khaitan (later directed Dhadak), the ad featured Virat and Anushka at a wedding function as guests watching a couple take their seven traditional vows.
The premise was revolutionary for Indian advertising. Instead of having the celebrity couple play bride and groom, they were wedding guests trying to guess what vows the actual couple was exchanging. This led them to discuss what modern wedding promises should actually mean.
The Revolutionary Vows:
- Virat: “I will cook for fifteen days in a month”
- Anushka: “I will eat it without complaining about its taste”
- Anushka: “I promise to keep you protected”
- Virat: “I will never dare to change you and will accept you as you are”
- Tackled equal partnerships, shared responsibilities
- Flipped traditional gender roles
The vows they imagined weren’t about poetic declarations or heavy tradition. A husband cooking wasn’t just helping out, it was taking responsibility. A wife promising protection flipped traditional gender roles. Both committing to acceptance acknowledged that marriage was about partnership, not possession.
The Strategic Insight Behind the Creative
Shilpi Modi, Director at Manyavar and Ravi Modi’s wife, explained the creative challenge: “The main challenge for us was to devise a campaign concept which would bring out the best in the couple and at the same time match the brand philosophies of Manyavar and Mohey.”
The brand’s philosophy had always been about celebrating the Indian man, but with Mohey’s launch, they needed to expand that to celebrate modern Indian couples. The vows weren’t just cute dialogue. They were positioning statements about what the brands stood for: tradition that evolved, celebration that included everyone, relationships built on equality.
Campaign Performance:
- Within 24 hours: 1M views, 15,000 shares
- Virat posted on Facebook: “A spin on shaadi ke saat vachan”
- Went viral across social media platforms
- People loved seeing real chemistry (barely required acting)
- Brand acknowledged how young Indians actually thought about marriage
The Marketing Coup Nobody Planned
December 11, 2017: The Wedding
December 11, 2017 happened. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma got married in Tuscany, Italy, in one of India’s most-watched celebrity weddings. The news broke social media. Photos dominated news cycles for days. Every major publication covered the surprise wedding. And Manyavar’s campaign, released just two months earlier, suddenly took on an entirely new meaning.
Here’s the beautiful irony: Virat and Anushka didn’t wear Manyavar to their wedding. They wore Sabyasachi, the ultimate luxury Indian designer. But the public didn’t care about that detail. In fact, many people on social media genuinely believed the couple had worn Manyavar because the campaign imagery was so fresh in everyone’s minds.
The Perfect Storm:
- Campaign featured Virat in beige sherwani, Anushka in pale pink lehenga
- Actual wedding photos: Similar color palettes, aesthetics, romantic framing
- Visual echoes striking
- Many believed couple wore Manyavar (they wore Sabyasachi)
- Timing created authenticity money couldn’t buy
- Duo genuinely exchanged wedding vows on camera months before real wedding
According to industry analysts at Campaign India, the timing created an authenticity that no amount of money could buy. The duo had genuinely exchanged wedding vows on camera just months before doing it in real life. Whether or not they actually wore the brand became secondary to the emotional connection that had been established.
The Numbers Behind the Cultural Moment
The Business Transformation
Let’s talk about what this actually meant for Manyavar’s business. The trajectory speaks for itself. Before the Virat-Anushka campaign era, 2016 revenue stood at ₹500 crore with ₹139 crore profit, 450 stores across 173 cities, and strong brand recognition in certain markets but limited national penetration.
After the campaign and wedding, 2020 revenue reached ₹915 crore representing 83% growth in 4 years. Profit hit ₹237 crore showing 70% growth. By 2021, they operated 525 exclusive brand outlets across 207 cities despite COVID. The brand had become category leader in Indian celebration wear.
Growth Trajectory:
- 2016 (pre-campaign): ₹500 crore revenue, ₹139 crore profit
- 2020 (post-campaign): ₹915 crore revenue (83% growth), ₹237 crore profit (70% growth)
- 2021: 525 stores across 207 cities (despite COVID)
- Market position: Largest company in men’s wedding wear by revenue, profit
- Brand recognition: Category leader in Indian celebration wear
The Sequel That Proved It Wasn’t Luck
In November 2018, exactly one year after their wedding, Manyavar released a sequel campaign. Again directed by Shashank Khaitan, this time the ad began with text: “One year later.” Virat and Anushka appear at another wedding, playfully warning the bride and groom about challenges of marriage.
They start listing complaints, only to flip the narrative and talk about what they actually love about being married. The chemistry was real because the relationship was real. The humor worked because it came from lived experience. Filmmaker Karan Johar praised the commercial: “Lovely ad Shashank! And Virat is such a good actor!”
November 2018 Sequel:
- Text: “One year later” (after real wedding)
- Virat-Anushka at another wedding
- Playfully warn bride and groom about challenges
- Flip narrative: What they love about marriage
- Karan Johar praised: “Virat is such a good actor!”
- Again went viral, millions of views
Why This Worked When Other Celebrity Campaigns Failed
Authenticity Built Over Time
India sees hundreds of celebrity endorsements every year. Most are forgettable. Some are actively cringe-worthy. Manyavar’s Virat-Anushka campaigns worked for specific, replicable reasons. Virat had been Manyavar’s brand ambassador since 2015. By the time Anushka joined for the Mohey launch in 2017, audiences had already accepted Virat’s association with the brand.
The brand had spent two years establishing Virat’s connection to celebration wear. When Anushka appeared alongside him, it didn’t feel like a marketing gimmick. It felt like the brand evolving to include the woman in his life. The genuine relationship chemistry combined with established brand familiarity resulted in something that felt organic rather than transactional.
Why Authenticity Worked:
- Virat: Brand ambassador since 2015 (2 years before Anushka)
- Audiences accepted Virat’s association before couple campaign
- Genuine relationship chemistry + established brand familiarity
- Felt organic, not transactional
- When brands manufacture couple chemistry, awkwardness shows
- Manyavar had advantage of real relationship
Cultural Timing and Millennial Insight
The “modern wedding vows” concept tapped into something real about how young Indians were thinking about marriage in 2017. Arranged marriages were declining from 95% of all Indian marriages in the 1970s to approximately 75% by 2017. Love marriages were rising, and millennials wanted traditions that reflected their values: equality, humor, partnership.
Traditional Indian wedding advertising showed brides crying at vidaai, fathers giving away daughters, weight of generational expectations. The imagery was beautiful but heavy. Young couples were looking for something different. Manyavar showed a couple teasing each other about Netflix binges and forgotten anniversaries. They showed two equals entering a partnership with open eyes.
Cultural Insight:
- Arranged marriages: 95% (1970s) → 75% (2017)
- Millennials wanted traditions reflecting their values
- Traditional ads: Crying brides, patriarchal imagery
- Manyavar: Couple teasing about Netflix, forgotten anniversaries
- Two equals, realistic expectations
- Urban millennials navigating tradition vs modernity
The IPO That Validated Everything
February 2022: The Market Debut
On February 16, 2022, Vedant Fashions (Manyavar’s parent company) listed on the stock exchanges at a valuation that stunned market watchers. The IPO was priced at ₹866 per share with a market capitalization of ₹21,017 crore. Many analysts called the valuation aggressive, trading at PE ratios of 75-80x on forward earnings.
But Ravi Modi had built something that defied traditional retail metrics. Starting as a salesman at age 13, working in his father’s clothing store, borrowing ₹10,000 from his mother to start Vedant Fashions in 2002, Modi understood the wedding wear business at a level most MBAs never would.
IPO Details:
- February 16, 2022: Stock exchange listing
- Price: ₹866 per share
- Market cap: ₹21,017 crore
- PE ratios: 75-80x (analysts called it aggressive)
- Asset-light model: 90% sales through franchise EBOs
- Operating margin: 26% even during COVID
- Return on capital: 20-22% (exceptional for retail)
From ₹10,000 to ₹32,000 Crore
By April 2023, Ravi Modi’s net worth had reached $3 billion (₹28,000 crore), making him the 64th richest person in India and 1,238th globally according to Forbes. The company he started with money borrowed from his mother was now valued at ₹32,000 crore.
His wife Shilpi Modi, a trained fashion designer, served as the company’s chief visualizer and handled digital strategy. The business remained deeply family-driven even as it scaled to become India’s largest celebration wear brand. This cultural consistency, maintaining Indianness while building global ambitions, was part of what made the brand resonate.
Ravi Modi’s Journey:
- April 2023: Net worth $3B (₹28,000 crore)
- Rank: 64th richest in India, 1,238th globally
- Company valuation: ₹32,000 crore
- Started: ₹10,000 borrowed from mother (2002)
- Shilpi Modi: Chief visualizer, digital strategy
- Corporate culture: Emails address as “Manyavar,” sign off “Namaste”
The Virat-Anushka campaigns hadn’t just sold clothes or driven short-term revenue spikes. They had built enterprise value that translated into one of India’s most successful retail IPOs. Modi’s journey proved something important: you could bootstrap, stay debt-free, operate from Kolkata instead of Mumbai, and still become category leader by understanding your customer better than anyone else.
What This Means for Everyone Else
Five Universal Lessons
You don’t need Virat Kohli’s endorsement fee or Anushka Sharma’s star power to apply these lessons. The insights are universal. First, timing matters more than budget. Manyavar’s October 2017 campaign probably cost a fraction of what big FMCG brands spend on single ads. But the timing created value that no media spend could match.
Second, authenticity beats production value. The campaign worked because the relationship was real, the wedding was real, and the emotional connection people had to the couple was real. Brands spend millions on elaborate sets when what audiences actually crave is genuine human connection.
Five Key Lessons:
- Timing matters more than budget: Launch when audience already paying attention
- Authenticity beats production value: Real relationships create real connections
- Build relationship before campaign: Virat’s 2015-2017 work established credibility
- Let celebrity be themselves: Modern vows reflected how couple actually talked
- Operations must match marketing: Inventory systems delivered on promises
Third, build the relationship before the campaign. Virat’s 2015-2017 solo work established credibility. When Anushka joined in 2017, it felt like evolution, not desperation. Fourth, let the celebrity be themselves. The modern wedding vows reflected how Virat and Anushka actually talked about relationships.
Fifth, operations must match marketing promises. Manyavar could promise celebration wear for every occasion because their inventory systems could actually deliver it. Their franchise model could scale because the economics worked. Marketing creates demand. Operations capture value.
The Bottom Line
The Manyavar Virat-Anushka campaign will be studied for decades as a masterclass in how celebrity partnerships can transform brands when strategy, timing, and authenticity align perfectly. The October 2017 “Naye Rishte Naye Vaadey” campaign generated 1 million views in 24 hours. Two months later, the couple got married in Italy, creating an association that money couldn’t buy.
Why This Succeeded:
- October 2017 campaign featured modern wedding vows
- December 2017: Couple actually married (2 months later)
- Revenue: ₹500 crore (2016) → ₹915 crore (2020), 83% growth
- February 2022 IPO: ₹21,017 crore market cap
- April 2023: Company valued ₹32,000 crore
- Started with ₹10,000 borrowed from mother
The campaign didn’t just drive short-term sales. It fundamentally shifted Manyavar’s market position. By 2020, the brand had become the largest company in India’s men’s wedding and celebration wear segment by revenue, operating profit, and net profit. The wedding that happened two months after their ad cemented an association that would last years.
The business transformation validated everything. Revenue grew from ₹500 crore in 2016 to ₹915 crore by 2020, representing 83% growth. The February 2022 IPO valued the company at ₹21,017 crore. By April 2023, Ravi Modi’s net worth reached $3 billion and the company was valued at ₹32,000 crore.
Key Takeaways:
- Strategy meeting timing meeting cultural insight created perfect storm
- Genuine relationship chemistry + 2 years brand familiarity
- Modern vows tapped into millennial values (equality, partnership)
- Wedding 2 months after campaign created authenticity money can’t buy
- Asset-light franchise model (90% sales) drove exceptional returns
- Bootstrap story: ₹10,000 borrowed → ₹32,000 crore empire
For Manyavar, the Virat-Anushka campaigns proved that wedding industry marketing didn’t have to follow the old playbook. You could be funny. You could be modern. You could acknowledge that marriage is hard work and celebrate it anyway. You could create advertising that people actually wanted to watch rather than skip.
The campaign that launched in October 2017 changed India’s wedding industry forever. Not because it had the biggest budget or the most elaborate production. But because it understood that the best marketing happens when brand strategy aligns with cultural timing, when celebrity partnerships reflect authentic relationships, and when the product backing up the promise actually delivers.
Manyavar proved you could bootstrap a ₹10,000 investment into a ₹32,000 crore empire by understanding one simple truth: in India, weddings are everything. And the brand that could own the cultural conversation around modern Indian weddings would own the market. They just needed the right couple at the right time saying the right things. Everything else was execution.
