The magic of good casting

AGKspeak / Hajmola's rivetting new ad gives product-connect a miss

What I've liked
It dances its way in and out of the slew of dramatic soaps on television in sharp contrast to the operatic levels of joy and despair which surround it. I am talking about a charming little commercial for Hajmola digestive tablets.

Amitabh Bachchan, the all-time great actor displays the span of his greatness by his attempt to do a "number", only to be beaten by a little one who is just a fraction of his age and experience.

Of course, the greater meaning being, I guess, that performance is best left to those who are good at it, rather than fakes and me-toos. The whole story was so delightfully executed that initially I totally missed out on what the brand was.

My attention was completely taken up by Amitabh's performance and the little boy's equally strong response. But because it was so attention-grabbing, I looked more attentively the next time round and realised it was for Hajmola!

And that is the danger that this ads runs into: a very charming story, very good casting, excellent performances by the two actors "" but the product connect was not as strong as the other things. It would have been a perfect piece of communication if all this was managed in one go, like the Aamir Khan ""Coke commercials, where the star and the product were on the same platform. Well, it still does a pretty good job despite this, albeit over the course of a couple of viewings.

What I've learned
Will the "real Indian" raise his hand please?

Travel abroad to any country and you will meet a totally different breed of Indians altogether. He is disciplined, conscientious and a responsible citizen of a foreign land. Bring him to India and overnight he transforms into someone else altogether.

In America, you will find him meekly carrying a poop bag while walking his dog. In India, we will be happy if he doesn't join his dog in an impromptu watering session!

In Singapore even the most seasoned paan-chewer knows exactly where that bright coloured ball of saliva has to go. Bring him to his good-old homeland and you have to roll the window up to avoid being hit by a missile.

I am perpetually nervous of walking alongside buses, because I never know when am I going to be doused by saliva or paan! The conclusion is sad, but true. With a rod over his head, the Indian is your perfect civil citizen of the world. Take away the fear and you bring out the beast in him.

This is apparent even in very strict religious environments. Walk into Satya Sai Baba's ashram for a darshan and you will witness the most amazing sight. A congregation of several thousand Indians "" but packed together in pindrop silence! Drop into the Brahmakumari's ashram in Mt Abu and you will see a similar miracle: you will find a crowd that falls silent together, at the stroke of 12:00, silently praying by itself.

So I wonder who the real Indian is. The rude and undisciplined one who spits and hawks at every given opportunity or the extremely disciplined and responsible citizen of the world who takes care of his environment and minds his Ps and Qs.

Wouldn't it be wonderful (thouh too good to be true) if the Indian whom we bump into abroad, is the same Indian we meet at home?

Wouldn't it be such a refreshing change, if the Indian who respects the authority of spirituality so beautifully, also respects the authority of the municipal corporation?

Or do we behave this way only because deep down we know we can always buy ourselves out of any misbehaviour? And is the reason why we know no fear when we are at home, on Indian soil.

Email : agkbrandconsult@yahoo.com