When Nicole Kidman and Arjun Rampal did an advertisement in late 2000 and no one ‘expected a child there’

The advertisement was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and produced by Ridley Scott’s production company.

It portrayed Kidman as a travelling princess arriving at a grand palace for a secret rendezvous with Rampal cast as her romantic counterpart.

The commercial also featured Rubina Ali, then nine years old, who was known for playing the younger version of Freida Pinto’s character, Latika, in Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

At the time, Ali’s father publicly stated that she earned more from the three-day Schweppes shoot than from her role in Slumdog Millionaire, sparking wider conversations about child actor compensation and post-release support in the film industry.

Kidman and Rampal campaign felt less like advertising and more like cinema, which was subtle and stylish.

Shot like a mini-movie, the luxe commercial unfolded against the dreamy backdrop of Lake Palace - all shimmering waters, swirling ghaghra-cholis, and the traditional beats of Indian folk music.

Enter Nicole Kidman, dripping in polki jewels and royal energy, playing a mischievous princess who sprints through palace corridors with equal parts grace and sass. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it crossover moment, she grabs the hand of Rubina. Then, Arjun Rampal walks in with his charm and adds Bollywood grace to the fusion. Nicole teases, runs, shuts the door, sips her Schweppes, and looks straight into the camera: “Hey! What did you expect?”

This advertisement, posted by @marketingminutes on Instagram has garnered around 38.4K likes.

One user commented, “Arjun rampal in his prime was something else.” While another Instagram user questioned, “Why is a child there in this add?”