NEW DELHI: Smartphone brand Xiaomi ‘Mi’ has teamed up with rapper and musician Harjeet Singh Sehgal, popularly known as Baba Sehgal, for its festive season campaign ‘Diwali with Mi’.

Baba Sehgal stars in a rap video for the mobile maker. What’s interesting about the clip is that vice president & MD of Mi India Manu Kumar Jain is seen shaking a leg and going head-to-head with Sehgal in a battle of rhymes. In the video, Baba Sehgal says, “Ye hai Manu, mai hu Baba, Bhook lagi hai, let’s go to dhaba. (This is Manu, I am Baba, We’re hungry, Let’s Go to Dhaba.)”

Jain’s unexpected performance is what makes it for fans of Mi, who cheered the MD for stepping out of his comfort zone and sportingly participating in the video.

In a LinkedIn post, Jain said: “What’s the role of a CEO? Building new businesses, making long term business plans, building the best possible team, motivating the team to perform the best, creating more leaders? But at #XiaomiIndia, I need to do all of the above and also sing and dance.”

Jain added that he was convinced by his team to shoot the video and he’s glad for the experience.

Baba Sehgal and Jain’s double act has proved to be a hit with netizens. Some hailed Jain’s “tremendous energy” and creativity by doing something different and pleasantly surprising the brand’s customers. Others said the campaign was a breakaway from “the stereotypical image of a CEO” and reflected a rich life "beyond the board meetings, PPTs and excel sheets."

By leveraging the power of social media, Xiaomi is promoting its Diwali campaign and connecting with the masses. Already a renowned name in the Indian smartphone market, the brand clearly knows how to strike a chord with the consumers, as this ad campaign shows.

BABA is in the house!

Fanboy moment for me when @OnlyBabaSehgal joined our all-hands to interact with our team!Welcome to @XiaomiIndia family Baba.

Have you listened to his #DiwaliWithMi song? Glad that #Diwali has started with such a Dhamaka!

I Mi #BabaSehgal pic.twitter.com/gYkb2qb2nh

— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) October 16, 2020