addendum

The Games are on!

There’s something about sports. Especially in the Indian context. Our scenario is replete with instances of people who have battled the odds, risen from very humble beginnings and snatched glory for the country. The Olympics are in focus now and as billions of eyes widen in astonishment across 220 countries and collective cheers or gasps of anguish follow these modern gladiators, one thing is clear. This is not an arena where the players are affected by the glitter of lucre. These are the true heroes, following the Olympic motto of “higher, faster, stronger”. These are the inspirations for all of us. Nothing is more important to them than the name of their country emblazoned on their vests. Nothing is more gratifying than the sight of their country’s flag fluttering, and the national anthem playing as they bow to accept their medals, and to conquer our hearts. And our advertisers are right there, cheering the Indian contingent on, in their quest for gold and glory.

Having partaken of the salt . ..

This commercial focuses on three athletes, Babita Kumar the wrestler, Inderjit Singh the shot putter and Shiv Thapa the boxer. Each one of them tells you her or his little story. Each one is altruistic and nationalistic. The technique of a freeze frame with audio in the background followed by the athlete walking into her arena is interesting and different. What gives the script an unfair but welcome advantage is the connotation of the Hindi word namak. And each athlete talks about repaying the debt they owe the country. As it translates into ‘salt’ or namak , it blends in beautifully with the sentiment of the message. The tag line “ Namak ke Waastey ” comes across naturally and fits in with the product really well.

Daring to fall

The focus is on the mother and child. The message is delivered through a great script. It shows a very young gymnast who is obviously afraid to fall off the high bars. And his young mother who is the narrator and chief protagonist of the TVC. She explains how she is ready to fall with him, but he will have to rise on his own. It goes on to talk about how those who have risen are those who have dared to fall. The film has soft colours and traces the early hesitant steps that young athletes take, and then suddenly bursts onto the professional stage at just the right time. Good production values, and I will repeat, a great script, make this a memorable film. The end of the film ties up with the promise of the product Bournvita which helps budding athletes prepare to win. Or as they choose to call it, Tayyari ki jeet .

No stopping

This company celebrates the 12 athletes it supports through the main story of a little girl who promises herself never to stop running. It is a very well made film and while it glorifies the efforts of the little girl from a small village and the stories of the others which are encapsulated in brief scenes, it also dwells on the sacrifices that the girl’s sister makes to make her the world-class athlete she is and hopefully the world-beating athlete she finally turns out to be. Again, a good script, a well-made film and the tagline Rukna nahi hai works really well, given the subject matter.

Edelweiss gets peppy

This is one of the typical films that gets your pulse racing with its music score and its quick cuts, a great film to cheer our heroes on to Rio. With a focus on Saina Nehwal besides many others, the film is peppy and has great repeat value.

What hurts most

The focus is squarely on Saina Nehwal and the script is very interesting. It shows in a novel manner how she and other kids have bucked the initial naysayers and turned up winners. The aunt, the neighbour and even the friend are all shown playing on one side of the court against Saina who is alone on the other side. Very well shot, with some great scenes of Saina in full flow, this film exhorts us never to tell a kid she can never achieve anything. That is what hurts most. For any other hurt, there’s Savlon.

Not really funny

In the midst of these inspiring stories, Fevikwik tries the humour route where a hockey player runs through the opposition with the ball stuck to his stick. Sorry, we are not amused. And Samsung has a film with many national anthems. Should we excuse them for not having the Indian anthem?

Vox populi: Reader G. Gayathri deplores the RMKV ad for Happy Deals. It shows a teacher at his student’s house, complaining that his son got just 11 marks in Maths. The pupil corrects his pronunciation and laughs loudly. The father, entering the house loaded with shopping from RMKV, joins in the mocking laughter. Gayathri thinks this ad should be banned as it puts teachers in poor light. “Also, it puts the brand in poor light. Not good for a brand that claims to have created records, honouring weavers ....” Yes, Gayathri, the situation in the script is certainly not one that should be trivialised. It shows a very insensitive approach to humour.

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

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