Key Points
- Air India has unveiled a new in-flight safety video titled 'Safety Mudras,' featuring eight traditional Indian dance forms.
- The video clip has garnered online attention due to its creative approach to delivering safety instructions.
- An aviation safety expert highlights that the video fails to include a vital safety message.
Created through a collaboration with Prasoon Joshi of McCann Worldgroup and two Bollywood celebrities - Shankar Mahadevan and Bharatbala - the safety video aims to engage passengers, highlighting the richness and variety of Indian culture while imparting vital safety instructions.
It has garnered significant circulation across various social media platforms, shared by numerous netizens.
Eight Indian dance forms - Bharatnatyam, Bihu, Kathak, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, Ghoomar, and Giddha - have been used to create the video.
Each dance form has been used to demonstrate a particular safety instruction; for instance, Kathak illustrates mask safety, while Bharatnatyam demonstrates seat-belt safety guidelines.
The Air India in-flight safety video has taken an innovative approach to imparting protocols to air passengers. Credit: Air India
The video has garnered attention across social media platforms due to its creative content, leading many to believe it will engage passengers, although some aviation experts have voiced concerns.
Tara Rajkumar, OAM, the founder of a dance academy in Melbourne, described the video as a "remarkably innovative approach that uplifted the spirit".
Tara Rajkumar, OAM, runs a dance academy in Melbourne. Credit: Tara Rajkumar
However, she said she was sceptical about the video's effectiveness, noting that, "we still need to know if it successfully captivates viewers' attention without diverting them from important messages."
A Bharatnatyam dancer showcases seatbelt safety procedures. Credit: Air India
Another Melbourne resident, Neerja Chauhan, said, "It showcases India's culture to an audience looking to travel to India. Also, with the recent Japan Airlines fire incident, people following safety video instructions are credited with having saved lives. So, it's imperative that airlines find new and interesting ways to keep people watching."
According to Zlatko Varenina, a Business and First Class flight attendant with a well known airlines, the video is refreshing and is expected to enhance passengers' attentiveness to important messages.
Zlatko Varenina works with Qantas Airlines. Credit: Zlatko Varenina
Crucial safety instruction left out, expert says
Sydney-based aviation safety expert, Oleksandra Molloy, said while entertaining safety briefings might enhance passengers' moods, they might not effectively communicate vital safety information, as indicated by previous research.
Safety aviation expert, Oleksandra Molloy. Credit: Oleksandra Molloy
She added that the Air India clip also failed to include the crucial information about leaving cabin baggage behind in emergencies.
"One of the most important safety messages - 'If you have to evacuate, leave all your cabin baggage behind!' - has been left out," she said.
