Mumbai, April 14 -- In a world where advertising often tries to go big-big causes, big celebrities, big messages-HDFC Mutual Fund's latest film Hum Sab Investors Hain chooses a quieter route. Created by Publicis India, the ad is part of the long-running Zindagi Ke Liye SIP campaign and is aimed at first-time or hesitant investors. But it doesn't look or feel like a finance ad. And that's precisely the point.

The film draws a simple, relatable parallel between the emotional investments people make in their loved ones and the financial discipline of SIPs (Systematic Investment Plans). Through the life journey of a young girl-from the day she's brought home from the hospital to her teenage years-we see how parents, grandparents, teachers an...