MxMIndia

Category: BLOGS

  • I like his angst, his hard edged temperament. It is this hot attitude which will make him a superb leader in the coming years, even if it gets him into trouble now and then. So he must keep the fires burning

    Anil Thakraney: Kohli’s abuse = Good news for IPL

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Virat Kohli is an angry young man these days. He is furious with a section of the Wankhede crowd, because they booed him right through the IPL league match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. I will come to Kohli’s frustration presently, but let me start by saying that this incident should make the BCCI suits smile very widely.

     

    And that’s because, contrary to the views of many sceptics (myself included), it’s very clear that the IPL has managed to establish solid city-based loyalty. The Indian junta appears to have adopted the various teams as their own. Personally speaking, I still don’t feel any connect with the Mumbai Indians team (just as I feel no connect with Antilla), but I don’t matter out here. The hardcore IPL fans definitely do. It’s one thing to cheer for your team, it’s another to jeer for the rival team’s captain. The captain who happens to be a star player for India, the future of Indian cricket, but that didn’t seem to deter the crazed IPL fans. The mad passion for the Mumbai Indians team explains the insults heaped on Kohli. And this is superb news for the tournament organizers. No one doubted the popularity of the T20 format, what was always in question is the issue of team loyalty. Because many players from each team don’t belong to that particular city/region. One can safely say that has been achieved too. In short, the IPL can now officially be called a Super Duper Hit. Congratulations!

     

    As for young Kohli, I like his angst, his hard edged temperament. It is this hot attitude which will make him a superb leader in the coming years, even if it gets him into trouble now and then. So he must keep the fires burning. However, for the Wankhede incident, our man should have handled things a little more smartly. This is a trick the youngster needs to quickly learn, because there’s no glory in abusing cricket fans, however rowdy their behavior might be. Kohli should have blown air kisses in the direction of the jeering crowd. That would have immediately disarmed the louts, and would have made them run to a dark corner.

     

    Kohli ought to learn from his boss, Dr Mallya. Notice how the booze tycoon keeps beaming and shining at the stadia (when his team wins, that is) despite the Kingfisher Airline mess.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Have always loathed IDEA’s mind effing ‘Honey Bunny’ jingle. Well, this bunch of cool doods has composed a neat jingle of their own in honour of this rubbish. Now this I like, Sirji! Have fun.

     

     

     

  • Concluding our series of 'One Big Idea' contributions published in the MxMIndia Annual 2012 with the opening remarks by the MxMIndia editor-in-chief and CEO

    One Big Idea: Final word by Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Over the last few months, we have been bringing you various comments from industry stakeholders and the MxMIndia team that were part of the MxMIndia Annual 2012 published last year. We had fun bringing these to you online as we did in print… hope you found them interesting and adding value to your perspectives on the business. The last of these is by our editor-in-chief and CEO, Pradyuman Maheshwari. Meanwhile, work on the Annual 2013 has just begun… look out for it!

     

    The problem with annuals and anniversary specials is that they are big and fat and while we all enjoy breezing through the pages and appreciate the great work done, most often we keep them aside and never really get back to reading them again.

     

    My own workdesk has some of these tomes, a few over a decade old.

     

    So what should a publication barely a year in the business have as the theme of its Annual?

     

    We’re living in a world where the attention span is sub-140 characters. Given this, we went ahead with a brief to industry captains and leaders: give us ‘One Big Idea’ for the business of media and advertising, in not more than 250 words.

     

    There are some who have kind-of stuck to the brief. Many others haven’t. But we didn’t go about trimming these. So enjoy the Big ideas, some of these really biiiiiig!

     

    ~~

     

    It wasn’t easy putting together the Annual. We are working with a small editorial and business team. The team which produced this also works on the daily online edition. But it was fun. Many, many thanks to all those who’ve helped with the cause… especially Alok Kapuria and Johnson Napier who’ve been at it for over a month.

     

    ~~

     

    So what’s my One Big Idea for the industry? I don’t think there’s one idea that fits all. Or perhaps there is: Transparency.

     

    When MxMIndia set up operations in June 2011 and launched the site a few months later, one of the first things we did was to set up a Code of Ethics. Now, why have a Code when doing business ethically and with credibility ought to be a given?

     

    I am often reminded that it’s tough being ethical when you’re running a business. My retort: does this mean a hospital is right in administering sub-standard drugs to ensure profitability? Isn’t it wrong for an educational institute to dupe students with false claims and promises?

     

    There are inefficiencies at all levels in our country, so why bother when it plagues media and advertising? According to me, once the media is cleansed, our society will also rid itself of a lot of ills.

     

    Guess it’s time to give a wake-up call to ourselves: Jaago Re!

     

    ~~

     

    It’s been an enjoyable 15 months bringing you MxMIndia. My sincere thanks to all those who believed in us. To our friends and families, who’ve stood by us. To the industry and professionals who’ve had the faith in us.

     

    We weren’t the first in the business. There was a slowdown looming. In fact we were badly hit by it. We made many of the mistakes that start-ups make. We’re possibly still making them.

     

    However, we’ve got our basics in order. In the niche media, it’s critical to ensure editorial integrity. While it’s not a crime to be profitable, it’s imperative that you don’t sell your editorial columns for cash. And don’t give away awards for a consideration or to curry favour.

     

    Our credo is simple: we write about people and entities even if they don’t advertise with us. And we don’t necessarily write about them just because they advertise.

     

    It’s worked so far. My brief to the MxM editorial team is: engage with one and all. Stay in touch with them, and don’t worry whether or not they are advertising with us.

     

    This Annual is a testimony of the MxM way.

     

    ~~

     

    It’s a tightrope walk for me as editor and business head. In the light of the controversy around the arrest of two TV news executives, one of who wore the twin hats of editorial and business head, I have been wondering whether I should give up one of these roles. Unfortunately, the size of our operations doesn’t allow for this to happen. Not yet. However, I can assure you that there’s a Chinese wall up there in my head which ensures that we stick to our core editorial values. Even as we strive to make monies.

     

    We are looking at coming to you in a printed form more regularly. Until then, enjoy the MxMIndia experience online. Alag chhe! Or should I say: Industry wohi, Soch nayi?

     

    Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Editor-in-Chief and CEO

    Email: pradyumanm@mxmindia.com

    BBM: 29FEA79C

     

  • It is the media's first responsibility to be responsible and objective in the way it presents its stories. By all means use Sarabjit as an example but to make him a martyr and to push governments into giving him state honours is stretching too many limits, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: What News TV producers want India to think

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The death of an Indian prisoner from being beaten up in a Pakistani jail whipped up Indian television to quite extraordinary heights of outrage and emotion this week. The story of Sarabjit Singh was neither explored in its entirety nor presented to the general public as anything but a symbol of all that is wrong with Indo-Pak relations. Even those who wear their national pride very lightly on their sleeves must know that they are being manipulated by a quite unscrupulous strategy to use “patriotism” to feed the viewership machine. Newspapers must now fall in line with television’s tactics or be left behind – or so it seems.

     

    Of course, the Sarabjit story is not new and his family has maintained that he was not a spy – in spite of being found guilty by Pakistan courts. The question for the media however is that how far does it go to control national and international affairs and how much will this current hysteria help Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails.

     

    Sarabjit’s is only one story. Surely the case of all those fishermen who are caught sailing into Pakistani waters is more heart-rending? Or will television only pick up those cases where the families are aggressive and TV-friendly? Several accounts suggests that Sarabjit really was an Indian spy – though perhaps no one will dare to say that now for fear of being guillotined for treason. In which case, the story is complicated and murky. Which media outlet has explained to the reader how that system works? We know Agent Vinod and how he operated (or those of you who were foolish enough to see the film do) but how far does RAW go to look after its own, for instance. There are stories around Sarabjit which perhaps will not lead to war with Pakistan.

     

    If all these arguments sound heartless it is because the media’s first responsibility must be to be responsible and objective in the way it presents its stories. By all means use Sarabjit as an example but to make him a martyr (why doesn’t any news channel look up the dictionary meaning of martyr and explain which cause exactly Sarabjit voluntarily gave up his life for?) and to push governments into giving him state honours is stretching too many limits.

     

    However, if nothing else, the Sarabjit story has proved the extent to which TV news sets the national agenda and the way India thinks. It is no longer about what India wants to know. It is about producers in news television want India to think. I am unsure where we can turn if we want our own minds back.

     

    **

     

    It’s amusing to see 100 years of Indian cinema being celebrated as 100 years of Bollywood across all media outlets. The two are not the same thing at all. Bollywood refers to a particular type of film which comes out of Mumbai and the term was a derogatory invention dating to the 1970s. Indian cinema is a much larger concept and construct (see, I can use jargon too!) and deserves a larger canvas (and alliterate as well!).

     

    **

     

    The abuse on Twitter is now upsetting more people than it amuses and certainly parental upbringing manuals must include chapters on the social media as well. CNN-IBN’s Rajdeep Sardesai tweeted a few days that he’s giving up on political tweets because he can neither take the abuse nor the allegations nor the lack of reason thrown at him. Sachin Kalbag of Mid-Day wrote a charming column yesterday about he is also opting out of political tweets, citing from the seminal media film, Network. http://www.mid- day.com/columnists/2013/may/020513-mad-as-hell-and-cant-take-it-anymore.htm

     

    I’m reserving comment now to save it for a later date!

     

  • The way the television media went over the top, for the Johnnie who came in lately, it would appear as if a top Indian minister had been hacked to death on a visit to Pakistan. This is not to say the man's life had no value, but by Sarabjit's own claim, he was no Indian spy or a state terrorist

    Anil Thakraney: Sarabjit saga: Disproportionate coverage

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Must say I am quite bewildered over the Sarabjit Singh media frenzy. The way the television media went over the top, for the Johnnie who came in lately, it would appear as if a top Indian minister had been hacked to death on a visit to Pakistan. This is not to say the man’s life had no value, but by Sarabjit’s own claim, he was no Indian spy or a state terrorist. Here was a small time farmer who got pissed drunk one fine day, and accidentally drifted into the enemy territory. Since then, Singh had been facing trial in that nation on charges of terrorism and espionage, and we really can’t blame the Pak courts for taking decades to arrive at a final verdict, our courts don’t do any better on that count.

     

    Ergo, all that media tamasha over an aam aadmi killed by inmates inside a foreign jail? Prison violence happens regularly all over the world, and if my knowledge serves me right, jails are places where criminals reside, not nice guys. Therefore some blood bath is always expected. Which is why all the television noise beats me. Some channels have been addressing Sarabjit Singh as a martyr. Wow! Do they have secret information that the man was an Indian agent? In which case they should make that public.

     

    Anyway, all the attention from the television media resulted in the expected. Bada netas made it a point to join the funeral procession (good chance for some quick OTS), our Pappu neta even offered the man’s sister a shoulder to weep on. Full state honours for a man who drifted into enemy territory drunk. And the way Singh’s sister used the incident to build her own fiery brand, I can see her being nominated as a red hot candidate in the next general elections.

     

    Once again, this is not to belittle the man’s life. It’s to highlight the lopsided media coverage. Which often happens because of the herd mentality amongst the desi news channels. If one channel starts shouting about a story, a hundred others dutifully raise their own decibel levels. And then it becomes a total free-for-all.

     

    ***

     

    PS: A Brisbane ad agency has created print ads supporting asylum seekers. This is to change the image of these new arrivals, which in Australia is pretty horrid (ask Indian students!). Good public service idea, and the ads do address the hard issues. And they have used real asylum seekers in the ads. All very well, but I have to say the guy featured in this particular ad looks a bit, er, dodgy. Perhaps they should have been more careful with the casting.

    Click to enlarge

     

  • Every week, Deepa Gahlot casts a critical eye over media reviews of Bollywood releases… in Reviewing the Reviews

    Reviewing the Reviews: Shootout At Wadala

    Shootout At Wadala

    Key Cast: John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Kangna Ranaut, Manoj Bajpai, Sonu Sood

    Directed By: Sanjay Gupta

    Written By: Sanjay Gupta, Hussain Zaidi

    Produced By: Sanjay Gupta, Anuradha Gupta, Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor

     

    Filmmakers like Sanjay Gupta do not grow up and give up their laddish fascination for gangsters. It allows them to attract crowds, shoot with a kind of macho swagger and also pretend it’s all real.

     

    Shootout At Wadala is supposedly a fact-fiction khichdi on the life gangster Manya Surve, whose planned killing put the word encounter into the cop and media lexicon. Which means, Gupta can drop unexciting facts (like John Abraham bearing no resemblance to Surve) and add as much fiction as he likes (Surve was not framed by a cop). Plus three item numbers and loads of violence.

     

    Most critics pointed to gangster fatigue – there have been just too many films of the same kind. So this one got mostly 2.5, some 3 and a couple of fawning 4 stars too.

     

    Rajeev Masand of ibnlive.com commented “…while the story is rooted in Manya Surve’s journey from an innocent, bright college student to one of the city’s most powerful mafia dons, Shootout at Wadala is a potpourri of stomach-churning slashing and shooting, writhing item girls, and lewd dialogue. In fact, Gupta infuses so much violence and sex into this tale that it hits the G-Spot – and by this, I mean, gratuitous. The director has no qualms pandering to the lowest common denominator; inserting item songs at will, peppering his actors’ lines with cusswords, filming bump-and-grind lovemaking sequences, and even throwing in a titillatingly-shot rape scene.”

     

    Shubhra Gupta of the Indian Expess, wrote, “Why would I want to watch yet another retro-gangster flick? Because I’m a sucker for gritty gangsters and sharp cops. Because I like the bang-bang stuff, when done well. And because there’s nothing as cool as retro, in the right hands. Shootout At Wadala gives us a bunch of gangsters and cops, all trying very hard for coolth. It has action, some of it explosive, but not madly new. What stops it from becoming the film that it could have is an avalanche of dialogue, the sort of smart-alecky lines that sounded so right in the 70s. In 2013, they seem like a tired device to hang an entire film on. And the fact that this genre is now feeling the weight of having been trod upon too often.”

    Sanjukta Sharma of The Mint was left cold. “Some things do not change. Director Sanjay Gupta’s every action sequence is shot in slow motion. Every entry of a new character is in slow motion. Bits of the three item numbers in the film-yes, three-are in slow motion. A loose, directionless script and insipid dialogues (Manya and his men are often engaged in long conversations about the female anatomy) take their toll half an hour into the film. Abraham tries very hard to play a brooding, ruthless gangster but the character does not engage. The bad writing, of course, does not help. Bajpai is predictably good in his dialogue-baazi; so is Sood. As far as borrowed scenes go, Shootout at Wadala has the most unimaginative copy of a scene previously borrowed or alluded to by film-makers: the assassination of Sonny Corleone at the toll plaza.”

     

    Karan Anshuman of Mumbai Mirror wrote, “So you have no grand design save for a feeble attempt to stick to the plot of Hussain Zaidi’s Dongri to Dubai, the book SaW is based on; a haphazard story with too many elements and no focus (John Abraham vanishes for long periods and Sonu Sood gets an incongruous amount of footage); and a film that ultimately says nothing (though you might learn a curse or two). The actual shootout – the only bit that commands your attention – is perhaps five minutes long and comes at the very end of a protracted 2.5 hours.”

     

    Shakti Shetty of Mid-day commented, “There has been no dearth of gangster films in Hindi cinema. But it’s one of those genres that never goes out of fashion. The underworld and the legends related to it make for an interesting yarn provided the novelty is maintained. However, Shootout at Wadala takes the middle path by trying to strike a balance between recorded history and fictionalised events. In the process, it showcases personalities on both sides of the law belonging to a bloody era. In retrospect, there are moments when it manages brilliantly and there are instances where it falls flat.”
    Mathures Paul of The Telegraph sneered, “The wannabe baap of Mumbai, Manya Surve (John Abraham), is all huff-puff and no brains. But a thali of guns, profanity and sleaze cannot go all wrong, especially when more than a 1,000 rounds of ammo are wasted, spaced out by three item numbers and a few sex-bench push-ups.”

     

  • The first thing TV news needs to do is get rid of those now pointless debates as they serve no purpose and have stopped being amusing any more, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Why I have stopped watching primetime News TV

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The media has whipped itself into a frenzy over the unsavoury news pouring out of the government every day. It barely knows where to focus, which angle to concentrate on and how to keep up with all the delicious, spicy fare that is being offered to it. A cornucopia of scams and scandals is a rich buffet and it is hardly surprising that in all this the media – especially television – has decided to dive in headfirst to give its viewers and readers all the latest titbits. In all this, if it forgets to provide enough detail or grammar gets even more short shrift than normal, so what eh?

     

    The first bit of nonsense, as some have tried to point out, is to slap the suffix “gate” on to every new scam or scandal. The building where the descent of US president Richard Nixon began was called Watergate. The “gate” had no significance as far as a name for a scandal goes. Nixon was not fiddling with water to get re-elected and the gate is as relevant as any ubiquitous entry point. Instead, his plan began with a break-in into the Democratic Party’s National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Office Complex and ended with his impeachment.

     

    One can understand the temptation to add a “gate” only because it adds a very convincing tenor to a scam. Plus Coal-gate sounds like it refers to a well-known toothpaste, though it is highly unlikely that the manufacturer is flattered. It is however interesting to imagine what the Indian media would have done if Nixon’s people had broken into the Empire State building or a building coming up near my home called The Amazing or how about Brindaban or Madhu Kunj?

     

    There is the other problem that in this breathless attempt to give us a new bit of scandalous wrongdoing every day (or every minute if you’re talking about television), the details and the background of the scandals are getting lost. TV of course has complete disdain for the past, for in-depth coverage or background information but newspapers might do their readers a favour and remind them now and then.

     

    This edit for The Economic Times supplies some context to the question of coal allocation and the misdemeanours involved: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/editorial/heres-how-to-properly-read-the-scam-story/articleshow/19922658.cms

     

    **

     

    On a personal note, I have stopped watching “primetime” debates on news television having decided that my primetime can be put to better use. This decision has helped significantly with my hypertension as well as allowed me to reset my stupidity tolerance meter. News television in India seems to have reached a nadir and while that implies that the only way is up it could mean that it finds itself in a pit too deep with no visible way out or a plateau too large with no end in sight.

     

    The first thing TV news needs to do is get rid of those now pointless debates. They serve no purpose and have stopped being amusing any more. Watching the same people yell at each other every night regardless of the subject has lost its novelty factor. Even worse, the big name anchors now appear on weekends as well – talk about overkill!
    Take a step back guys and try and assess how little you’re doing in so much time!

     

  • If a channel can be dedicated to music, movies, food, animals, leisure, fashion, etc, why not scams? After all, cheating is an intrinsic part of the great Indian culture

    Anil Thakraney: Introducing! Ghotala TV!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I have a deadly idea, and through this blog post, am attempting to reach out to venture capitalists or angel investors or whatever the moneybags are called these days. I want to launch a brand new news channel, but with a difference (hatke, as my Bollywood pals would boast). The channel, which I wish to call Ghotala 24X7 (Gee TV, for short), will be dedicated to scam related stories from India.

     

    With a scam happening every other day in this glorious nation, I really think the time has come for such a speciality channel. Here’s my content plan:

    Scam newsbreaks and heated TV debates thereof, every single evening.

     

    Reporters from across the nation getting members of the junta involved in the discussions.

     

    Special features which will dissect the anatomy of each scam, in order to make it easy to understand for the aam viewer.

     

    Regular sting operations on chronic fraudsters. And potential thieves (that’s most netas and babus, it’s a huge market).

     

    Special discussions with business leaders on each scam and its impact on the economy. (Their active involvement in the programming is anyway useful for ad revenue generation.)

     

    Noon TV debates will deal with broader issues like why India has become such a corrupt nation. These can be philosophical in nature, as the tired housewives are likely to watch at this hour.

     

    For the morning slot, which would cater to the senior citizens, religious leaders will be called to perform yagnas and conduct aartis to make this nation scam free. These sadhus will also enlighten us on whether people born in certain sun signs are likely to be more corrupt, etc.

     

    And the marketing staff will package each scam for sponsorship rights. For example: ‘This part of the Railway scam is brought to you by Rupa underwear: Yeh andar ki baat hai.’ And so on.

     

    Well, you get the picture. Call me if you wish to finance Ghotala TV. I am very serious about this project. If a channel can be dedicated to music, movies, food, animals, leisure, fashion, etc, why not scams? After all, cheating is an intrinsic part of the great Indian culture.

     

    PS: I would be glad to have you as the principal investor even if you have scammed the funds. That would be in the fitness of things.

     

    ***

     

    PS1: An anti domestic violence ad from Saudi Arabia, a nation not really known for respecting and honouring its women. Good to see such an effort from that country, and it’s a good ad too. The caption in the ad: Some things can’t be covered.

     

     

  • As the Karnataka election results were announced, News TV were full of election experts – many of who were common to all channels, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Same guests, diff’rent channels

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    From the morning onwards on Wednesday, it was the Karnataka election results which dominated news television. This meant all the big guns were out and firing much earlier than normal because we all love a good election. Plus, there were panels of election experts, print journalists and that wonderful class that we specialise in – people who are experts in everything.

     

    All the experts gave us their expertise – including said one early on in the counting that the Congress was not going to make it to even 110 seats so it was time to concentrate on the other smaller parties. The Congress refused to cooperate with the gentleman and stopped at 121, a bit beyond the required majority. The experts and big guns also kept telling us dimwits that it was too early to say anything substantial (you know now that I am old; if I was young I would have said “substantive”) which begs the question: then why say anything at all?

     

    Of the lot, Arnab Goswami of Times Now had the most fun and as the day progressed, he pranced around like an excited puppy dog so thrilled with his new toy bone. Rahul Kanwal of Headlines Today looked and acted serious as is his new wont. And Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN searched longingly for some gravitas. I don’t get NDTV but I understand that Prannoy Roy was on air and changed his tune as the results tuned in, but this is hearsay. Incidentally, halfway through the results programming, all the channels decided that the election was about the fact that their pre-poll polls had got it right. Sweet, isn’t it?

     

    I fail to understand why news television insists on having politicians as guests on discussions at times like this because they are bound to say what they are bound to say. Introspection blah blah, victory yaay yaay. Endless strings of clich̩s РKarnataka is not Delhi, the states are not the Centre, the Earth is not the Moon and so on. Anyway, the Congress evidently decided that the man who knows more words than Samuel Johnson, Mirriam, Webster and Roget combined should do all the talking. Manish Tiwari thus came and bombasted everyone off the stage.

     

    As the day progressed, the focus shifted from Karnataka and the poor showing by the BJP to the Supreme Court spanking the government over the coal allocation scam and the captivity of the CBI. Some big guns changed – Sagorika Ghose replaced Sardesai on CNN-IBN – and others stayed. Goswami was sounding hoarse by the time the night ended. Of course, Karnataka did not go away either. Intriguingly, almost every TV channel had exactly the same guests on at exactly the same time – or so it seemed to me. It was like watching one of those reruns of the X Files which are currently on air: spooky and corny.

     

    **

     

    Most newspapers divided their front pages between the Supreme Court admonitions and the Karnataka elections. Editorials had stern warnings for all politicians and analysts are still figuring out whether it was caste (Lingayats versus the rest), corruption or general voter cussedness. All were agreed however that the Narendra Modi versus Rajiv Gandhi contest was not like a rerun of WWE.

     

    **

     

    The Times of India’s Mumbai edition has been what Twitter calls an “#EpicFail” when it comes to covering the ongoing strike by shopkeepers and retailers over the newly imposed local body tax. Mumbaikars are struggling with grocers shut all week and the vegetable market and transporters threatening to follow. At best, we get a meagre quarter page. This is unusual for a newspaper which believes in carpet-bombing. Mid-Day has been excellent on this and Hindustan Times had been quite good too.

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator based in Mumbai. She is also Contributing Editor, MxMIndia. She can be reached via Twitter at @ranjona

     

  • Prannoy Roy is unarguably India's best news channel personality, and one would like to see more of him

    Anil Thakraney: The Kar Natak elections

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I have absolutely no stake in the Karnataka assembly elections. Since I feel the same way about the Maharashtra elections, a state I belong to, you can well imagine my interest in what happens in the politics of other areas. That’s because nothing ever changes, one fraudster gets replaced by another. However, as things turned out, I was bedridden on Wednesday, and with nothing else happening, I spent all day with Arnab, Prannoy and Rajdeep. My temperature went up a few points, but that’s not the fault of these gentlemen, I do feel feverish each time I see Yeddy’s pretty face. Anyway, here’s my brief analysis of the election analysis.

     

    Prannoy Roy was his usual excited self, the man loves dissecting Indian elections. Serious, analytical, deep… all that we have come to expect from him. As I watched Roy in action, I realized his absence from regular news programmes is a huge loss. He is unarguably India’s best news channel personality, and one would like to see more of him. I still vividly recall how Roy gave the Chairman of Cadbury India a very hard time when worms were found slithering inside the chocs. (This was about ten years ago.) NDTV’s boss didn’t seem to care he was pissing off a huge advertiser. Hope to watch Roy anchor the 9pm news, at least few times a month.

     

    I don’t like it at all when Arnab stands up, it makes him look like a slimy government babu. He doesn’t possess a body that works in the erect pose. Arnab must always remain seated for best results, he looks far more authoritative that way. That apart, Times Now did the predictable number. Lots of shouting and heckling, and the busy screen bursting with all sorts of numbers.

     

    Rajdeep did the best job on this occasion. He was incisive and energetic. And missed no opportunity to bring in some humour to the proceedings. This is very important for viewers from the rest of India, people not really excited about the Karnataka politics. I must also add here that CNN IBN does the best job with info graphics. Clean, clear, uncluttered, simple layouts. The credit for this must go to Rajdeep. A techie pal, who once worked with the man (at NDTV), told me Rajdeep gets totally involved with the packaging. It shows.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Haha. My photographer pals will love these posters. Satirical, these messages carry exactly what photographers have to say to us when we envy them for their ‘cool’, ‘easy’, ‘sexy’ job.

     

    Link: http://www.demilked.com/sarcastic-posters-for-photographers-shoppe-designs/

     

  • I have two reflex reactions each time Murthy comes on air (which is way too often): One, to smash the TV set. Two, to grab the remote control…

    Debrief: Voltas A/C: Sack this Mr Murthy!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    An extremely boring campaign from Voltas for their aircons. They’ve created this brand mascot called Mr Murthy. He’s been around for some time now. In each ad, the chap talks into camera making a pitch for Voltas. I’ll be very frank out here: I have no bloody idea what the man says, and I am not even interested. And no, that’s not because I am not looking to buy an air conditioner.

     

    The reason is simple: Pathetic, intolerable advertising. It’s all very well to appoint a brand ambassador (and to Voltas’s credit, at least they didn’t sign up the maha tired Shri Amitabh Bachchan). But you have to make sure that the individual is appealing, happening, charming, funny, adorable, memorable… am sure you know the criteria. He can’t be a man who has zero charisma, zero humour (and yet tries to be funny) and zero personality. This ad is bound to crash; as David Ogilvy said a long time ago, no one buys from boring people. And if this isn’t sad enough, Voltas has made this big bore belt out a brand window too! Grr.

     

    I have two reflex reactions each time Murthy comes on air (which is way too often): One, to smash the TV set. Two, to grab the remote control. Thankfully, the Sindhi in me makes me opt for the latter. 🙂

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 0. Dunno if the A/C cools, but the ad leaves me heated up.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own.

     

  • Brilliant! I love it! It's nearly impossible for a thirty-second TV commercial to leave tears in your eyes, and Idea has managed to do exactly that

    Debrief: Idea: Sob, sob!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Some months ago I had reviewed the Idea telephone exchange commercial which featured a son exchanging the phones of his bickering parents. I had mentioned that Idea was onto a tremendous consumer insight, and I can say it’s working wonders for the brand with the second ad too. While I was not very happy with the casting in the husband/wife TVC, must say the new ad is perfectly done.

     

    This one features an ultra busy young executive who has no time to even call his aged parents. The smart dad exchanges the phones of his son and the mother, and sets the stage for an emotionally charged finale. As the son discovers that his mom doesn’t get a single phone call during the day, and he promises to keep in touch every day with his parents.

     

    Brilliant! I love it! It’s nearly impossible for a thirty-second TV commercial to leave tears in your eyes, and Idea has managed to do exactly that. Fabulous casting this time, and a situation which every single Indian family will identify with: Children too busy for their lonely parents. And yes, we Indians are emotional fools, this ad will hit the bulls-eye on our bleeding hearts.

     

    Hats off, Sirji!

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 4.5. Superb idea, superb treatment.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own.

     

     

     

  • A suggestion for the creative team: Guys, raise the pagalpanti level, make it crazier. Madder the treatment, better would be the brand recall. Now that you've chosen the wacko route, go all out, don't stop at silly, childish pranks

    Debrief: Mirinda: Needs more madness!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Am all for pagalpanti. In advertising as well as in real life. We need loads of it, this nation is too damn serious. Which is why I like Mirinda’s tagline: Pagalpanti zaroori hai. And Asin isn’t a bad choice for such a promise, she did a wonderful job with all her pagalpanti in the Aamir Khan flick, Ghajini. It’s another matter of course that the pretty Mallu actress’s career never took off in Bollywood, and I guess that’s only because she doesn’t come from the Bolly ‘family’, but I digress.

     

    It’s a series of nonsense ads. The premise is: ‘Mirinda andar jaati hai aur pagalpanti bahar aati hai’. Slightly erotic, but that’s my dirty mind at work. So in one ad, a girl walks through a security check gate, but a different girl emerges. All thanks to Mirinda. Don’t even try to rationalise this one, it’s pagalpanti after all.

     

    Well, madness is in order for cold drink advertising, so that’s cool. Though I wonder how many viewers would be able to recall the brand name, but that’s for the advertiser to check. And I say that because this sort of stuff can work for just about any fun product. A suggestion for the creative team: Guys, raise the pagalpanti level, make it crazier. Madder the treatment, better would be the brand recall. Now that you’ve chosen the wacko route, go all out, don’t stop at silly, childish pranks.

     

    Also, Asin looks lovely in the ads. It’s a pity her Bollywood career never took off, and here I go again with the unrelated stuff!

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2.5. Good fun. Brand recall needs to be sussed.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own.