This week Guerlain released the Bruno Aveillan directed short film for the brand’s Shalimar fragrance. Inspired by the timeless and tragic (although we don’t get to see that element) love story of Emperor Shah Jahan and Princess Mumtaz Mahal, the film is set in Northern India in the early 1600s.
In essence, it shows Willy Cartier as Shah Jahan travelling across the mountains inspired to create the Gardens of Shalimar and gifting Mumtaz Mahal (played by Natalia Vodianova) the immensely beautiful Taj Mahal.
The creative treatment of the film is quite reminiscent of Game of Thrones (Season 1 with Khal Drogo and Khaleesi, particularly) with Cartier on horse-back and Vodianova emerging from a bath etc. It also plays as similar piece of marketing content to Cartier (the brand this time!)’s recent L’Odyssee, which was ALSO directed by Bruno Aveillan.
