MxMIndia

Category: BLOGS

  • The creative team had the right idea. And yet, there was something missing, the ads failed to shine. After a few exposures, boredom set in

    Debrief: Cadbury Gems: Weak animation

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Correct IPL strategy by Cadbury Gems. Within the core umbrella positioning of ‘Raho Umarless’, they ran a series of commercials during the just concluded tournament, where the gems were animated to behave like cricketers and spectators.

     

    The creative team had the right idea. They married the various colours Cadbury Gems come in with the colours of jerseys the different IPL teams wore. This was a cool idea, because it helped tie the brand with the games seamlessly. Also, the treatment, as you’d expect from candy advertising, was the usual fun and masti, so all that’s fine.

     

    And yet, there was something missing, the ads failed to shine. After a few exposures, boredom set in. Compare this animation effort with Voda’s hilarious Zoozoos and Zumis, the difference was like chalk and cheese. So then what went wrong? I suspect the problem was in the execution. Since the ‘characters’ remained at the level of Cadbury Gems, they lacked visual appeal. I am not an art director or an animation artist so I don’t have pat answers. Still, here’s a thought: Could some of the gems have been created to resemble cricketers, and made to behave the way Dhoni, Gayle, Bhajji, Sreesanth, etc, might behave? This would have helped bring in lots of laughs, and would have helped the gems look a bit cuter. As a bonus, Cadbury Gems would have got star power in the ads without having to pay these guys a penny.

     

    In fact, they could have fed on the latest IPL scandal, and added a few bookie gems.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2. Strategy perfect but the creative lacks spark.

     

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

     

  • It is a realistic situation (this is what Sreesanth must be going through right now), and the cop speaking in Haryanvi dialect is too funny.

    Debrief | Quikr.com: ‘Spot’ on!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I totally approve of Quikr.com’s advertising. This is because they use disruption very effectively to break the clutter, and that’s the ideal ad strategy for a young brand that does not have deep pockets. You need to knock hard to get noticed. In addition, Quikr.com does something even better: they run topical ads. Again, a smart thing to do, this gets the ads discussed.

     

    The latest TVC deals with the spot-fixing scandal in the IPL. A cop advises cricketers not to sell their souls for money, and to instead sell their used items via Quikr.com. Fridge, TV, A/C, etc. The camera pulls back, and we discover a man standing next to him (a prisoner), fidgeting with the towel. The cop accuses the chap of spot-fixing, and then starts torturing him.

     

    Haha. Good fun, I likes. It is a realistic situation (this is what Sreesanth must be going through right now), and the cop speaking in Haryanvi dialect is too funny. That too is authentic, because the bowler has been arrested by the Delhi cops. Notice that the ad would have cost peanuts to produce, but the impact is immediate. Always a sign of intelligent advertising.

     

    If there’s one little problem with the ad, it’s that I feel they should have cast a Sreesanth lookalike. And made him weep exactly the way our man did after Bhajji gave him that crashing back-hand flip. That would have been so very cool.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3.5 Topicality works. It’s funny too.

     

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

     

  • Chori? Perhaps. Still, you have to admit the director of the Aircel ad has done a good job, one can't take that away from him/her.

    Debrief: Aircel: Charming. But is it original?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Sweet Aircel commercial. Very endearingly directed. For the first time I have liked Dhoni in a commercial, he looks happy being in it. The Indian cricket captain usually looks maha bored in the ads, as bored as he looks at the pressers these days, as he turns into a mannequin when asked questions on the IPL mess.

     

    But the most important reason I like the ad is the performance by the little autograph hunter. Very cute, very real, and his expressions and body language are stunningly perfect. This situation feels like it’s happening in real time. Full marks to the director, this commercial looks simple but it mustn’t have been easy to shoot. So, good show.

     

    However, a veteran ad man points out that the commercial is a copy of Coke’s classic ‘Mean Joe Green’ commercial from 1979. I am linking both the commercials below, you can decide if the Aircel creative team got inspired or not. Yes, the ads do have the similar plot, the treatment is similar too. Chori? Perhaps. Still, you have to admit the director of the Aircel ad has done a good job, one can’t take that away from him/her.

     

    Aircel
    		 Coke

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3.5 – If the ad is original. 1 – If it’s ‘inspired’.

     

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

     

  • The idea of touch screen machines is neat, since they help you physically bond with the person from the other nation. It demonstrates the similarity of people from both sides, leaves you with that hearty feeling: 'Oye, yeh toh hamare jaise log hain!'

    Debrief: Coke: Hindi Paki Bhai Bhai

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    After TOI’s Aman Ki Asha campaign, here comes an idea from Coca Cola to help bridge the divide between India and Pakistan, a divide which only seems to be growing deeper each year.

     

    Coca-Cola calls it ‘Small World Machines’. Vending machines have been installed in malls at New Delhi and Lahore. And through these 3D touch screen machines, people from the two nations are able to virtually join hands. And naturally, since this is an ad venture (which rules out poisonous elements like Hafiz Syed), janata from both nations is elated to meet and greet.

     

    Well, all one can do is appreciate such efforts, and hope that they make a difference. It’s quite obvious by now that the netas from either side can’t lick this problem, so whatever little enterprise is shown by the private sector is welcome. The idea of touch screen machines is neat, since they help you physically bond with the person from the other nation. It demonstrates the similarity of people from both sides, leaves you with that hearty feeling: ‘Oye, yeh toh hamare jaise log hain!’. Also, it goes nicely with Coke’s ‘Open Happiness’ theme. Do take a look at the number of views this video has already garnered, this idea seems to be working.

     

    Hope to see more of these vending machines installed in many cities across the two nations. And if I spot Dawood bhai on the other side, I may not join hands with him, but it will give me an opportunity to show the finger. 🙂

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 4. Cool, innovative public service concept.

     

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

     

  • The commercials are entertaining, and the Indian flavour is brought out nicely. Yes, we will identify with these situations, because, as the cliche goes, we are like that only

    Debrief: McDonald’s Masala Grill: Apun aisaich hai!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Very apt TV campaign from McDonald’s for their Masala Grill burger. The product positioning is: Here’s a burger custom made for the Indian taste. And to bring that out, instead of concentrating on the burger, they have focused on the consumer, which in this case is we desis. The creative hook therefore is how we Indians behave. This makes for a cool creative.

     

    There are various TVCs on air, but the two I like are these: In one, a stingy man desperately tries to bargain with a McDonald’s staffer, and obviously fails to obtain a discount. In another one, a religious chap orders a Masala Grill Chicken, when the wife dutifully reminds him it’s Tuesday (love the sound of a temple gong at this point, hilarious!). Naturally, the order is quickly changed to ‘Veg’.

     

    Good stuff. The commercials are entertaining, and the Indian flavour is brought out nicely. Yes, we will identify with these situations, because, as the cliche goes, we are like that only. I particularly like the slightly irreverent touch to the ads, they are self-deprecatory in nature, they don’t show us Indians in a very good light. Brave of McDonald’s to back this creative, and appreciate the creative team for treading the line carefully.

     

    Personally speaking, I would have used the following situations: People jumping queues, children littering all over the outlet, folks demanding ten tomato ketchup sachets with each burger (nine of which to be smuggled for home use), in fact, I would have shown a chap spitting in a corner. Of course, the McDonald’s suits would have shoved my scripts into the paper shredder, but I could have always posted them on the internet for an Abby award consideration. 🙂

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Fun treatment, delivers message effectively.

     

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

     

  • Ranjona Banerji reviews the coverage of the Sunday afternoon drama when Srinivasan did exactly what the news channels didn't want

    Ranjona Banerji: When the BCCI didn’t heed advice of the channels

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Hell hath no fury like news channels scorned. The fortnight-long campaign carried out against BCCI chief N Srinivasan reached a head on Sunday afternoon, when the BCCI dared to reveal its compromise formula which went against everything news channels had been recommending. The temerity of the Board of Control for Cricket in India to allow Srinivasan to “step aside” and make his buddy Jagmohan Dalmiya the interim president!

     

    Srinivasan, as we all know, should have been frog-marched out by his collar, never to be allowed to darken the doorsteps of Indian cricket again.
    Alas!

     

    And this is why there is very little other news worth discussing in the nation or indeed the world (except for Indian children in the US consistently winning spelling competitions, truly an earth-shattering occurrence when you consider that when in India, children cannot spell at all). A poll on CNN-IBN apparently said that 90 per cent of the people were disillusioned with cricket or words to that effect. Whether that is 90 per cent of entire population of1.2 billion or 90 per cent of the six people who answered an online poll, I don’t know. But even the worst sceptic would concede that the wishes of 90 per cent of a polled people cannot be ignored.

     

    Arnab Goswami of Times Now was the most upset if only because he had been the most vociferous against Srinivasan together with his shrieking pet panellist Boria Majumdar. Headlines Today was determinedly resigned as they shook their heads and reminded us that Dalmiya was no crusading angel. NDTV had Sreenivasan Jain trying to look ponderous and sounding lightweight pompous. Maybe it was the outfit. Rajdeep Sardesai revealed his home decor or one lamp at any rate.

     

    The upshot of all this is that the BCCI meeting was a sham and the cricket-loving public (90 per cent of it anyway) had been fooled. The downturn is for the BJP because it was Arun Jaitley, beloved of all Delhi journalists (though not as much as the late Pramod Mahajan) who apparently proposed Dalmiya’s name. This made the BJP an immediate target, which now includes the fact that Narendra Modi, president of the Gujarat Cricket Association hath not said a word against Srinivasan and has extended to the usual confused statements that senior party leaders make against or for Narendra Modi.

     

    Indian captain MS Dhoni has been another media target because he is also the captain of the Chennai Super Kings and is a vice-president of India Cements, Srinivasan’s company. The cricket scandal overshadowed the self-righteous proclamations of outgoing CAG Vinod Rai who was all over NDTV (and one of Karan Thapar’s programmes on CNN-IBN) explaining the impossibly dull innards of accounting practices to us commoners.

     

    The cricket administration will continue to be a target unless, one guesses, India does well at the ongoing Champion’s Trophy series in the UK.

     

    **

     

    I absolutely adore The Week That Wasn’t, with its satirical (or farcical) view of the news as well as the take-offs on famous people or common stereotypes by Kunal Vijaykar and the others.

     

    However, it seems of late that the TWTW is unable to take on political satire. Or rather, the jokes reflect a schoolboy’s perspective on politics, with a sort of India Against Corruption type of self-righteousness underlining them. Maybe it’s just me…

     

    Having said that, Cyrus Broacha was just superb as Krishnamachari Srikkanth this week.

     

    **

     

    Small tip: Vinod Dua as a foodie is an interesting change from whatever’s going on: Zaika India Ka, NDTV.

     

    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. The views here are her own

     

  • Mahi was at least transparent in his dealings. Maybe this wasn't about honesty, maybe it was about financial naiivete. Either way, the truth is, he put his own name on record. The media must acknowledge this.

    Anil Thakraney: Mrs Dhoni should have invested in Rhiti

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Well, now that the dust has settled on the N Srinivasan saga (for the moment, that is), the media is going after Dhoni on charges of conflict of interest. Apparently, Captain Cool, at some point, held a cool 15 percent stake in a sports management company called Rhiti (what an odd name!), and this constitutes what we call ‘unfair trade practice’. This is because there are a few other cricketers managed by this company, and it would be in Rhiti’s interest if they got selected to play for India. The conflict arises because as captain, Dhoni has a say in team selection.

     

    While technically speaking the media has a valid point, and Dhoni is answerable for this direct investment, I really think we should go a bit easy on the guy, we should give him some breathing space. For three reasons. One, apart from doing commentary, cricketers don’t really have a solid career post retirement, and they have to look for investment opportunities while the going is good. Dhoni can start a restaurant or a hospital or a dance bar, but perhaps these things don’t interest him, his heart may lie in an activity he understands most: Sports. Therefore investing in a sports management company isn’t really out of place.

     

    Secondly, sports is a totally performance based activity (unlike many other professions in India, especially Bollywood, where failed sons of stars keep getting fresh opportunities), and even if Dhoni got Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja (Rhiti clients) an entry into the cricket team, these blokes have to quickly deliver. Or perish. So this so-called ‘conflict of interest’ has a very small role to play in this case. N Srinivasan’s situation is entirely different. He headed the BCCI and owns Chennai Super Kings, that’s a Deadly Dodgy Deal.

     

    Thirdly, we have to admit Mahi was at least transparent in his dealings. Like some of our respected netas, he could easily have invested benaami money in Rhiti. Or even invested in his wife’s or cousin’s or chacha’s name. But he chose to put his own name to it. Maybe this wasn’t about honesty, maybe it was about financial naiivete. Either way, the truth is, he put his own name on record. The media must acknowledge this.

     

    In short, fine, let’s cover this story. But please don’t crucify the man, he deserves better. There are enough big fish swimming in the dirty Indian Ocean to go after.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Haha. Totally cute ad from Taco Bell to push their Dollar Menu. What I like most about this one is how nicely they’ve sold their low price offer without damaging the brand. Rather, they’ve made it rock.

    http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682903/a-spunky-senior-channels-christopher-walken- in-new-spot-for-taco-bells-dollar-menu?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company%29

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached via Twitter at @anilthakraney

     

  • While these ads run during the commercial breaks, on the news programmes we find anchors and their guests hectically dissecting a brand-new scam. So, all the hard work done by the ads gets negated moments after exposure.

    Debrief: Congress Party: Ad fest in between Scam fest

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    So, Soniaji has decided the time has come to start selling her party for the next year’s general elections. I think it’s a bit too early, but perhaps Madamji has little faith in her party’s chances this time, and therefore the bugle is blowing hard more than a year ahead. Also, why would she worry about the ad cost… we idiots, the taxpaying junta of India, will foot the bill.

     

    ‘Bharat Nirman’ is the campaign slogan, I watched three ads. One deals with the boom in mobile telephony, another one talks about the spurt in educational institutions. The third one boasts of the Delhi Metro, and plans for other cities. The strategy is both, obvious and correct; it’s best to discuss the key achievements for an incumbent government in its election campaign. Also, the execution is warm and engaging. They have used aam aadmis and aurats of India, and their aam life stories. So all very nice and dandy.

     

    However, there’s a serious problem: While these ads run during the commercial breaks, on the news programmes we find anchors and their guests hectically dissecting a brand-new scam. So, all the hard work done by the ads gets negated moments after exposure. Which then makes me wonder: Shouldn’t at least some of the ads take on the issue of scams and scandals head-on? Instead of ignoring them? Maybe closer to elections, the Congress Party will think about this issue. Especially because the opposition party will definitely launch a frontal attack on UPA’s assorted corruption stories.

     

    All said, in my own humble view, the UPA will get booted out next year. All the ad money down the drain. Our money, to be precise. Grr.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2.5. Obvious strategy. Creative is decent.

     

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

     

  • Only one word comes to mind for Balki: Respect. For taking a tough stand, for making a powerful statement, for finding an honest way to reward his employees.

    Anil Thakraney: Lowe Lintas Awards: The Scam Free Zone

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    In my interviews with Balki, I give him stress for not willing to take part in the Abby awards. I have even called him stuck-up and arrogant. Of course, these are tricks one uses during interviews… in my heart, I have always admired the man for keeping away from meaningless award shows. And with each passing year, as GoaFest gets hit by fresh scandals, this view has only got strengthened. I am now convinced Balki’s got it absolutely right.

     

    However, the agency does (given the talent pool) continue to produce good work each year, and the creative folks need to be recognized and honoured. Enter the Lowe Lintas True Show. An event where the agency rewards itself on work they consider to be brilliant. This is not held annually, I suppose Balki decides which year is appropriate for the event, when he feels enough outstanding work has been put out by his agency. The burning question is this: What value can an award have if it’s not judged by an independent jury? This ‘minor’ issue is irrelevant to Balki, because he doesn’t respect the jury members Goa Fest usually appoints.

     

    The result: No controversies, no bad blood, and most importantly, no scam ads. Everyone has a good time at the event, as did I on Tuesday. I caught up with long-lost buddies, and because I have worked with Lintas in the past, it was almost like homecoming. I was present at the previous True Show event as well, and that was a smaller gathering. This year was a mega affair, the venue was grander, and it was packed with Lowe’s employees, creative directors from rival agencies, members of the press, and some Lowe clients. With such a large turnout, and after a few Patiala pegs, it was difficult to locate people you want to meet, I missed saying hello to many. Booze bottles as trophies is an idea I most liked. Suddenly, after all these years, I want to win an award, hic!

     

    But the most touching part of the event was Lintas honouring its rivals, for work that Balki and his team envy. And what this does is make the show bigger than just the agency, it turns The True Show into an industry event. The award given away to O&M on their work for The Hindu was richly deserved. I am not sure if the work for Gujarat Tourism deserved to be honoured, but that could be because of Balki’s soft corner for Amitabh Bachchan, the state’s brand ambassador. Scam award chhe, Balki! Haha, just kidding.

     

    Net net: Only one word comes to mind for Balki: Respect. For taking a tough stand, for making a powerful statement, for finding an honest way to reward his employees. And most importantly, for having a blast in the process.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached via Twitter at @anilthakraney

     

  • Fans of bada netas have the right to follow the procession. But was Jiah Khan a leader of the masses? She was just another struggling starlet in an ocean of filmi strugglers. Apart from sensationalizing someone's tragedy, what good did come of this?

    Anil Thakraney: Can we not cover last rites please?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Of course, young Jiah Khan’s suicide had to be covered extensively in the media. She was a member of the showbiz (even if a small player), and therefore public interest would be intense. Also, there’s a ‘lovers’ tiff’ angle to the tragedy, and this makes the incident even more interesting. All very fine, and I am sure this story will be closely followed by the media as the police investigation progresses, which is the way it should be.

     

    However, there’s something not very nice the media did once again, and I am pointing this out with the hope that we don’t indulge in this unfairness in the future. The press covered the dead girl’s funeral, and pictures of her wailing family members were lavishly spread out in the newspapers. (I did not follow the story on television, am certain they did the same thing.)  What is the need for this, what ‘public interest’ does this serve? Performing the last rites of an individual is a deeply personal moment, the family members and close friends are in deep anguish and dazed with shock, why would we want to shove cameras in their faces at this time? I think the media must come to an understanding that the last rites of a dead individual should not be covered. There will be plenty of opportunities at a later time/date to communicate with the family members.

     

    Some of you would argue that funeral processions of departed leaders are routinely covered by the media across the world. I am okay with this, fans of these bada netas have the right to follow the procession, even if via the media. I had no issues, for example, when Bal Thackeray’s cremation was covered on live television. It also helps give their zillion fans a sense of closure. But was Jiah Khan a leader of the masses? Heck, she didn’t even have an adequate fan following in Bollywood, she was just another struggling starlet in an ocean of filmi strugglers (Mumbai’s Lokhandwala Complex alone boasts of tens of thousands). So apart from sensationalizing someone’s tragedy, what good did come of this?

     

    To all editors and publishers reading this article: Can we agree that funeral processions of people like Jiah Khan will be kept away from public glare? Can we agree that even in the mad chase for readership and eyeballs, we will show respect for basic human dignity?

     

    Or, am I asking for too much from the savagely hungry Indian media?

     

    ***

     

    PS: I know, things have gotten a bit serious today. So let me leave you with a smile.  Here’s a cool way to demonstrate the start/stop function in a car, a warm way to humanize technology. Even I bawl like a baby when the traffic light turns red.

     

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached via Twitter at @anilthakraney

     

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

    Reviewing the Reviews: Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 exasperates all around

    Yamla Pagla Deewana 2

     

    Key Cast: Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol

    Directed By: Sangeeth Sivan

    Written By: Jasvinder Bath

    Produced By: YPD Films and Sunny Sounds

     

    The exasperation was evident in every review. The waste of the Deol pater et fils combined stardom for a movie as stupid as Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, which actually had some feeling nostalgic for the original, since Part 2 had even less merit. A filmmaker should worry if the best thing about his film is a man in a monkey suit. It takes a kind of talent to make a film so bad and the promote it proudly as if it were the best thing ever made, and then complain that the Deols never got their due because they are not good at marketing themselves.

     

    If a critic was kind – Dharmendra has the power to invoke nostalgia – the film got 2.5 stars, otherwise 1.5 was the standard.

     

    Shubhra Gupta of the Indian Express commented, “The Yamla Pagla Deewana gang is back with a sequel, with more of the same. Papa Bear Dharmendra doing his senior conman act, Sonny Bear Sunny doing the good guy with macho muscles and soft heart, and Baby Bear Bobby doing what Bobby does. A plot that should shame a wafer by its thinness. Random characters popping in and out. And the only thing one can say in its favour is that it is not as terrible as the first.”

     

    Sudhish Kamath of The Hindu ranted, “Yamla Pagla Deewana seems like a script that could have been written by that drunken monkey from the film in sheer defiance of art. We know that the Deols can be really funny. If the first part was somewhat passable, it was because it packaged Dharmendra nostalgia and the feel-good factor of the casting. Here, the idea of manufacturing nostalgia involves Dharam singing ‘Yeh Dosti’ with a monkey. It instantly makes us sad to see a veteran actor of his calibre reduced to this caricature of a man he used to be. So when Johnny Lever does a Don spoof in the same film, we realize that the joke is not on Sholay but on Dharmendra, just like the joke was not on Don but on Johnny Lever.”

     

    Anupama Chopra of The Hindustan Times was scathing. “Even the collective charm of the Deols can’t make this drivel palatable. It’s exhausting, loud and so cheerfully moronic that it hurts.”

     

    Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV.com panned the film saying, “Those that have been through the first round of the Yamla Pagla Deewana shock treatment might be forgiven for thinking that it couldn’t get any worse. Think again. The sequel is double the pain. It scrapes the very bottom of the barrel. Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 is much worse than brain-numbing. The screenplay jumbles up a few songs, some action scenes and a string of vapid comic gags and then dumps it all into a messy mix that makes about as much sense as Garam Dharam’s pow-wows with the mute ape. You’ve got to be yamla, pagla or deewana, preferably all three, to grasp what is going on.”

     

    Sukanya Verma of rediff.com all but gnashed her teeth in rage. “Calling Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 a joke would amount to a compliment. And I am in no mood to extend such courtesy. The purported comedy with a little less than half a dozen Deols on board – Dharmendra, sons Sunny and Bobby, daughter-in-law Lynda (it’s her story) and grandson Karan (as assistant director) is a 155-minute long giant bore. It’s not like the first one in the series was paradigmatic of Deol togetherness but at least it had *some* storyline and camaraderie. Also, the humour, which mocks their individual images or takes light-hearted digs at the Santa-Banta/Canada milieu provided the Sameer Karnik version genuine hilarity. But the sequel, directed by Sangeeth Sivan, is unimaginably insipid and tedious. And no orangutan, dragon, unicorn or dinosaur can rescue a mess like this.”

     

    Shubha Shetty-Saha of Mid-day was relatively mild. “This string of a script, tried to be accessorized by largely heard-before gags and two orangutans, doesn’t really work. The Deols, Dharmendra especially, are endearing as usual. But they or to some extent even the director, Sangeeth Sivan couldn’t do much with the clear lack of thrill or funnies in the script.”

     

    Tushar Joshi of DNA wrote, “The Deols madeYamla Pagla Deewana watchable because we bought their tomfoolery and goofiness that seemed enjoyable and natural. But the second part is laced with so many ridiculous moments, dialogues, sketchy characters and unflattering camera angles that you hope the family has a better hold of the franchise the next time around.”

     

    Rajeev Masand of IBNLive.com was not too harsh. “Directed by Sangeeth Sivan, ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana 2’ isn’t all bad, but at 2 hours and 35 minutes it’s overlong and repetitive, and doesn’t offer anything particularly original or inventive in terms of comedy. It’s a pity the jokes run out faster than your popcorn does.”

     

  • The ad is effective. It's a fantasy most men harbour, to meet this hot chick accidentally and get something going. Yup, the brand's in a good zone out here.

    Debrief: Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk: Messy choc, messy traffic. Works.

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Er, I am not big on people eating anything in a messy way, leave alone a gooey, sugary, milky chocolate. Which is why I am not a fan of CDM Silk advertising. But admittedly, perhaps some consumers are, which is why this brand has chosen the route. So let’s begin the review by assuming the mess works.

     

    The latest ad in the series features two car drivers stuck in a bad traffic jam. They both eat their respective chocolate bars (making a mess, of course), and this leads to the two vibing, as they playfully gesticulate. What happens later, whether they exchange cell numbers, go out for coffee, have a sex romp, get married, etc, is left to our imagination. But from the girl’s expressions, it’s clear our chap just got lucky.

     

    Which is why the ad is effective. It’s a fantasy most men harbour, to meet this hot chick accidentally and get something going. Yup, the brand’s in a good zone out here. Plus, with big cites notorious for deadly traffic snarls, such a situation is quite realistic, though by behaving like creeps in general, Indian men have put women on high alert.

     

    All said, it’s a cute, very likeable commercial. But I would urge you not to pull this stunt in real life. Because even as you are enjoying the choc and the moment, a sea of angry cars from behind will blow the crap out of you as soon as the traffic light turns yellow (even earlier). And trust me, there’s nothing silky about that feeling.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Fun, aspirational, delightful situation.

     

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