There’s this deglamorised Deepika Padukone looking every bit as lovely as you thought she is, and Farhan Akhtar, blending into his role like only he can. Two stars like these, plus Prasoon Joshi for the script and the directorial genius of Anurag Kashyap, and you have a winner in the making.

I like the first Coke commercial I saw. In fact, liked one after some time. The script is tight, the direction very good, the performances are effortless and you have Coke reaching out to a tier-2 town, expanding its audience and insisting that it is for the little joys of life as well.

Whatever the brief, the end result turns out very well. Bharat as well as India should take to this commercial. I am told there are two more, and I can’t wait to watch them. People are definitely going to “open some happiness”. More than what they have been doing so far.

A consistent Idea

“What an Idea, Sirji!” is something that has definitely struck a chord in the minds of viewers. The idea has lasted over a period in time and persisting with Abhishek Bachchan is a wonderful idea. His sense of timing is great and I will never understand why he has not managed more hit films. Anyway, here we have alternative situations where the mobile internet in the hands of the aam aadmi (common man) prevents someone from making a fool of them. Whether it is a politician who is making the same promises he made before the last election, an autorickshaw driver who is giving his fare a joyride round the block in the name of a short-cut or a young man trying to pass off tired internet jokes as his own original creations, the TV commercial shows how having internet on your mobile can save the day, expose the politician, pin down the auto driver and shame the lying man. Here again, the audience is obviously from Tier 2 cities. It is clear whom Idea wants to reach and where they live. Abhishek is left to introduce the idea and mouth the tag line, but still remains the continuing link through all the Idea films. Lowe Lintas is onto a good thing here.

Baby … er … blues?

We are well aware that the younger generation is connected to the Net 24x7. We are also aware that today’s kids are very much at ease with all the gizmos and gadgets that technology has on offer. So here you have a TVC for MTS and its 3G offering that has a mother-to-be pushing hard in labour while the cheeky little baby decides to come out, grabs a tablet (no, not the medicinal variety) and reads up on how to cut the umbilical cord while the operation theatre staff look on in amazement. The bonny baby cuts itself to freedom, jumps off the bed, opens a few accounts on a computer lying nearby and sets off to explore the world with a balloon in its hand and a plasticky smile on its animated face.

We are impressed with the animation. We really are. We like the background music. We really do. We like the stunned expressions of the helpless medical staff. We really do. It’s just that the whole ad gives one the feeling you get when you watch a good horror movie. You are riveted to the screen with a strange look of morbid fascination on your face. You aren’t sure if you want to run out of the room or see what else this script is going to throw at you. Then you remember it is for MTS 3G. And you still have this look of morbid fascination on your face …

(Ramesh Narayan is a communications consultant. Send your comments to cat.a.lyst@thehindu.co.in )

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW