Write a short summary of what happens in the film

The film showcases the story of a real-life woman protagonist: Yogita Raghuvanshi, a trained lawyer who was widowed but found her path to success by becoming India’s first woman truckdriver. The film shows a day in her life, as witnessed by a supporting character - a biker whose motorcycle has broken down on a lonely highway. A truck stops to give him a lift and he is surprised to find it is driven by a woman. In the ensuing conversation, she tells him how her plans of practising law were derailed by the death of her husband and how she raised her children by driving her husband’s truck. Our heroine wears her success lightly and inspires us with her winning attitude towards life’s hardships. The sentiment is echoed in the specially composed track which says ‘My dreams are unleashed, and flying free’ and melds into the Shell signature tune.

Please tell us about the cultural insight that inspired the work

India remains a patriarchal society in which women still experience inequalities in all aspects of life, not least economically – with female labour-force participation rates of only 20.5% in 2019 (source, ILO), pre-pandemic. Lack of mobility is a huge constraint, with women generally discouraged from travelling far for work. Those who do work tend to do so at or near home, usually in traditional areas like teaching, food preparation, nursing and dressmaking. ‘Powering Progress’ fits the Indian cultural Zeitgeist – aspiration and ambition are the engines that drive India. And mobility has a pivotal role in the ‘Indian dream’. Creative development built on the insight of ‘Great things can happen when Indians move’. We explored a wide range of stories. Those that resonated most strongly, amongst both men and women, were those that challenged stereotypes of a section of Indian society less associated with movement than most – women.