After the release of Surf Excel’s new ad featuring a mischievous monkey, viewers speculated that the animal was AI-generated. Bauddhayan Mukherji, founder of Little Lamb Films, clarified that no AI or VFX was used — the team shot with real, trained monkeys in Bangkok.
Conceptualised by Ogilvy, the film continues Surf Excel’s “Daag Achhe Hain” theme, showing a boy getting his shirt dirty while rescuing a vendor’s Rs 10 note from the monkey. The ad even includes a disclaimer stating that no AI was involved.
Mukherji’s statement highlights growing public sensitivity to AI in advertising — a trend seen after Coca-Cola’s AI-generated holiday ad drew criticism. Ironically, in a digital age dominated by synthetic content, Surf Excel’s most unbelievable element turned out to be completely real.