MxMIndia

Tag: anil thakraney

  • What's the IPL minus all the high drama? After all, it is just a glorified, modern day nautanki

    Anil Thakraney: No effect on Brand IPL

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    There is a lot of chatter going on over the impact of the latest scandal on the IPL’s brand value, and the possibility of advertisers ditching this ‘sinking ship’ next year. In response, let me first put up a daily life situation: Have you noticed how the chana vatana sellers suddenly land up when you are stuck at a traffic signal? In fact, they usually arrive when there’s a nasty traffic jam (somehow these chaps come to know of it!). Also, even as the bad jam leaves us in a foul mood, many of us do purchase the goodies from these boys.

     

    Why am I giving you this strange example? Because it’s the same story with branding and advertising. Think of the car passengers as audiences, the traffic jam as the mega event, and the chana sellers as the advertisers. The chana sellers will only go where the crowds are, regardless of the poor emotional connect between the traffic jam and the passengers. And the latter will buy from these guys because they (the hawkers) have nothing to do with the traffic jam. In much the same way, as long as the IPL continues to draw in the audiences, the advertisers will be there because the numbers is all that matters. Regardless of the scams that engulf the tournament. None of the zillion controversies have dented the IPL’s mass appeal in six years, nor will the latest one.

     

    And equally significantly, the viewers will not hold the IPL’s dirty deeds against the brands advertising their stuff during the tournament. This is because the junta isn’t stupid. Even the layman knows that Vodafone, Star Plus, Pepsi, Yes Bank, etc, have nothing to do with the spot fixing mischief by certain players, or the betting by bookies and some shady team owners. Therefore there’s no question of advertisers giving up on the IPL. As a case in point, news channels have been continuously running footage of Sreesanth and gang while they were busy spot fixing. As a result, the logo of the Rajasthan team sponsor printed in their jerseys, UltraTech Cement, keeps leaping out at you. Would that affect the sponsor’s image or their sales in any way? No chance!

     

    As for the IPL itself, as I mentioned in my previous post, this tamasha is here to stay. The format has won the hearts and minds of the Indian masses, and all the ugly controversies over the years don’t seem to have affected its popularity at all. Even if the BCCI, which is under pressure, finds a way to prevent spot fixing in next year’s edition (a very, very tough ask), IPL 7 will throw up its own set of fresh scandals, and it will be business as usual. In any case, what’s the IPL minus all the high drama? After all, it is just a glorified, modern day nautanki.

     

  • As Indian television's biggest annual reality show draws to a close, there are five pressing questions left unanswered. Let me try to deal with them

    Anil Thakraney: IPL 6 FAQs

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Okay, so as Indian television’s biggest annual reality show draws to a close, there are five pressing questions left unanswered. Let me try to deal with them.

     

    Does the IPL have a future following the fixing scandal? Will it shut down?

    There’s no way this tamasha is going to close shop, even if more skeletons tumble out of the stinking cupboard. Frankenstein BCCI has created a huge monster, and there’s no taming it now. The masses adore this monster because the IPL is fulltoo entertainment for the full family. It’s less about cricket and more about all the natak that goes around it. The TV ratings for this year have been good, and the stadia packed to the gills once again (the Delhi cricket ground was full house for the two play-offs despite the home team having been knocked out). And, Sreesanth & Co’s antics had zero effect on popularity. The IPL is here to stay. Period.

     

    Will we see a clean IPL season next year?

    Nope. T20 cricket is a fertile hunting ground for spot fixing, all it takes the bookies and their agents is a few dishonest players to co-operate. And this is particularly easy with the IPL because it’s teeming with players who have either been kicked out of the Indian team or aren’t talented enough to find a place in it. Also, India is a vastly corrupt nation, so to expect all our cricketers to be blessed with squeaky clean genes is being downright stupid. Some boys will sell their souls again, but I suspect they’ll behave more smartly than the three idiots: Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan. Fixing will continue, the procedures will get refined.

     

    Can’t the tournament host, the BCCI, clamp down on fixing?

    Well, according to media reports, the BCCI boss’s darling ghar jamai is allegedly involved in the betting racket, haha. So to expect that organization to follow Gandhian principles is like expecting Phaneesh Murthy to practice celibacy for the rest of his life. It ain’t gonna happen. Therefore what I predict is hyperactive policing next year (match fixing seems to bother our cops more than rapes) and various sting operations by the maha excited media. And yet, the show will go on.

     

    Aren’t sponsors and advertisers furious over the various IPL scandals? Should they not put pressure by threatening to pull out next year?

    Well, ideally they should, but they won’t. That’s because the corporate suits aren’t out to make India a better place, that’s not in their mission statement. The advertisers are only and only interested in one thing: Eyeballs. As long as the IPL continues to draw in the audiences (which it will), the money will keep getting pumped in. In fact, secretly, some of the sponsors must be elated with all the scandals, they help keep the tournament buzzing on the news channels. That’s a much bigger bang for their buck.

     

    Will Rajya Sabha MP Shri Sachin Tendulkar announce his retirement this Sunday?

    No. He’ll be playing IPL 30 too. Am willing to, er, bet on it. 🙂

     

  • 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.

     

  • It all boils down to just one thing: 'Dimag jhakaas hai par sala character dhila hai'.

    Anil Thakraney: Oops! Phaneesh did it again!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    As the saying goes, the first time you make a mistake, it’s an accident. The second time you make the same mistake, it’s a choice. Going by this logic, iGate’s President & CEO, Shri Phaneesh Murthy, who’s been sacked over sexual harassment charges, is clearly a habitual sex offender. There’s no way of ensuring this man keeps his penis zipped up at office.

     

    Readers will remember the tech hero had been sacked from Infosys in 2002, following a sexual harassment accusation by his executive secretary, Ms Reka Maximovitch. That case was settled out of court, and it cost Infosys a fat packet. One assumed that the man, having burnt his fidgety fingers, would have learnt a hard lesson. Murthy got a second chance to start his career when he joined iGate in 2003, and he did fabulously out there. According to trade press reports, he took iGate’s revenues from $2 million to $750 million inside ten years. And that’s a remarkable achievement in the highly competitive IT sector. Well, all that talent and success couldn’t stop him from having a sexual encounter with a subordinate all over again, and the man is fired, all over again!

     

    We can safely assume Phaneesh Murthy isn’t an idiot. His career record tells us so, and add to that the fact that he happens to be an IIT/IIM alumnus. Why on earth would a man with such powerful credentials make the same stupid blunder the second time? To be fair, we haven’t yet (at the time of writing this post) heard from the man himself, so let’s see what he has to say in his defence.

     

    However, two things need to be said right away. Since he’s done it again, Phaneesh seems to suffer from some kind of a sexual disorder, and he must get his head (and other body parts) sorted out. And two, this is yet another wake up call for the entire corporate world, as incidents of sexual harassment at workplace keep happening regularly.

     

    The moot question is: Why would you hit on a subordinate, fully aware of the legal ramifications? Is there scarcity of women outside your workplace? The only reasonable explanation seems to be this: Everyday interaction with the same person, close physical proximity to that person, and if there’s sexual attraction, even otherwise intelligent men can (and often do) slip. Which is why, unless we all work from out of our respective homes, incidents of sexual harassment will never cease.

     

    So then it all boils down to just one thing: ‘Dimag jhakaas hai par sala character dhila hai’. In Phaneesh’s case, that should read ‘Sala character bahut hee dhila hai’. I feel sorry for his wife, she deserves better than this.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator based in Mumbai. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views expressed here 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.

     

  • Just when you thought the Sanjay Dutt media circus is done and dusted, that he will now be left alone to atone for his sins, the madness rages on

    Anil Thakraney: Dutt teri ki!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Just when you thought the Sanjay Dutt media circus is done and dusted, that he will now be left alone to atone for his sins, the madness rages on. And it’s back to…. yes… ‘Sensational’ news of food arriving from home for the criminal star, and his displeasure with the choice of the cell allotted to him. We already have full details of the ‘perks’ allowed to the macho man inside the prison: Mosquito repellent creams, soft pillows, toilet rolls, etc, etc. Line diagrams of the Arthur Road Jail are being published once again. Soon, ditto will happen with the Yerawada Jail. Is this going to continue right till the time Dutt is inside prison? I fear it will.

     

    Guys and gals, please leave him alone, treat him like just another convict serving out his sentence. The Indian media has to grow out of this insane celebrity obsession, at least when it comes to crime. And we must remember that special attention to one criminal is not fair to the rest of the prisoners. I am quite certain the other convicts, after reading about or watching all the fuss over Dutt, will start demanding mosquito lotions and home-cooked biryani. Perhaps a Jacuzzi too. The jail is a tough place to survive; it’s supposed to be that way, it’s not a holiday resort. The whole idea is ‘punishment for crimes committed’, and that’s the way it should be. In any case our hero will be out sooner than expected (there are enough powerful people holding the candle for him), so kindly leave the dude to his elements for now. If for nothing else, please respect the feelings of the survivors of the 1993 blasts. Some of whom don’t even have a leg left to apply mosquito cream on. Let them feel at least some justice has been done, and that Dutt is being treated like an ordinary criminal. This is important.

     

    On another note, the IPL scandal continues to rock and roll, as the Mumbai cops try hard to go one up on their Delhi counterparts. But the crowds continue to surge into the stadia regardless. And that’s because people want entertainment, they don’t care if the masala being dished out is real or scripted. On the first day of the fixing news break, some over-enthusiastic young journos went on air with the ‘news’ that huge sums of cash were found in the rooms of bowler Shaun Tait and a few other players. Should the channels concerned not issue an open public apology to these guys? They should, if these channels wish to retain at least a modicum of credibility.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Life and times of apna ad agency folks, all captured through graphics and illustrations. Very accurate and quite funny. Enjoy!

     

    Link: http://digitalsynopsis.com/advertising/a-closer-look-at-agency-folk-and-their-habits-infographic

     

  • I don't think a few rotten eggs will spoil the big IPL party, it will carry on as usual. Too many people make too much moolah from it, the show will simply go on. The IPL is used to surviving scandals

    Anil Thakraney: IPL: Show will go on

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I write this post at 1pm on Thursday. The latest IPL scandal is still unfolding, and by the time you read this piece, we would have learnt a great deal more, and perhaps more skeletons would have tumbled out of the dirty closet. However, here are my thoughts as of now:

     

    S Sreesanth needs urgent medical help. I said this recently, and wish his family members had paid attention. I am sure they’d rather see this idiot on a shrink’s couch rather than in a police detention room. From what I have gathered so far, the Delhi cops have direct evidence against Sreesanth, which means his cricketing career is finally cooked. But here’s the pity: The man will be invited to take part in the next Bigg Boss season (they love hiring such losers), and therefore Sreesanth will continue to earn revenues from showbiz. Sad.

     

    As you’d expect, the media has gone into frenzy, and as always, there are unconfirmed reports being put out on air, and wild speculation indulged in. We can crib and complain as much as we want, our news channels will never mend their ways. Anyway, lots of easy meat ready for Arnab, Rajdeep and others, am sure they are sharpening their claws even as I write this.

     

    Many trigger happy tweeters and some ill informed TV reporters and anchors have been ranting against the latest ‘match fixing’ scandal in the IPL. Please be corrected; this isn’t match fixing, this is spot fixing, and that’s a different thing. For fixing a match, you will need to take the captain into confidence, and the Rajasthan Royals’ leader is a gentleman called Rahul Dravid. Over his dead body will the high-integrity Dravid allow anyone to cheat with the game.

     

    Regular readers of this blog would know that I have no love lost for the tamasha that is the IPL. Even if I was given a free VIP pass by Dr Mallya, with a guarantee that the RCB cheerleaders will dance on my lap throughout the match, I would refuse to go, and would instead watch Balika Vadhu at home. That’s because the IPL is everything but cricket. And yet, I humbly accept that there are millions who enjoy this ‘entertainment’, and therefore I support its existence. And I don’t think a few rotten eggs will spoil the big IPL party, it will carry on as usual. Too many people make too much moolah from it, the show will simply go on. The IPL is used to surviving scandals.

     

    And yes, looking forward to watching Sreesanth in Bigg Boss. Such is the world we now live in.

     

    ***

     

    PS: All journos must read this article carefully. It’s about how to use (and more importantly, not to use) Twitter during a national crisis. The way some people tweet without thinking, I shudder to imagine what might have happened if Twitter was popular during the 26/11 carnage.

     

    Link: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/04/boston_marathon_bombing_all_the_mistakes_journalists_make_during_a_crisis.html

     

  • It doesn't feel like an ad, this could be a scene from a Bollywood film or a television serial. Very subtle, very soft, and therein lies the commercial's power

    Debrief: Tanishq: Director’s film

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Very pleasing slice-of-life commercial from Tanishq. And what makes it truly refreshing is that the ad deals with the brother/sister relationship, something we don’t usually get to watch in advertising (unless it’s Raksha Bandhan time).

     

    The TVC is set in a bedroom which the siblings share. This subliminally cues middle class family, perfect for this brand which offers jewellery at an affordable price. The sister is about to get married, and the younger bro has bought her a gift from his first salary. It’s Tanishq, of course. This follows a warm, playful exchange between the two, difficult to describe, it’s best watched. Suffice to say the film has a fantastic emotional connect.

     

    It’s actually a simple script (must have been tough storyboarding it), and the onus therefore is totally on the director. And must say he/she has delivered big-time. It doesn’t feel like an ad, this could be a scene from a Bollywood film or a television serial. Very subtle, very soft, and therein lies the commercial’s power. This feels like a real conversation captured from the ‘shaadiwala’ house next door, and the interaction between the siblings is delightful. A less competent director would have treated the situation in-your-face, and the emotion would have tanked.

     

    I like the way the Tanishq team has built the brand. They never shout low price, but you always know you can afford their stuff. And the packaging is full-on desi emotion. Perfect!

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 4. Warm, soft, real.

     

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

     

  • The Gujarati tourists are back, and so are the Bollywood filmmakers. However, we are very aware that all it shall take is another massive terror strike to move things back to square one, Kashmir is such a fragile state

    Anil Thakraney: Media should highlight Kashmiri achievers

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The last time I went to Kashmir was nine years ago. This was for the shoot of a Nestle Polo commercial (I was employed with Lowe, Delhi, at the time). One morning I woke up late for an early shoot, and missed the last Gondola cable car, which was to take me to the hills of Gulmarg, the shoot location. This compelled me to hitch a horse ride, and this one-hour-long journey gave me a chance to have a detailed conversation with the horse owner, Mohammed. On the state of things in Kashmir. What he told me was heart breaking. Let me skip the gory details and get to the main point he made: Most Kashmiris felt a terrible sense of detachment from India, there was absolutely no sense of belonging. This feeling got further reinforced in my conversations with the other locals.

     

    I believe things are far better now, the Gujarati tourists are back, and so are the Bollywood filmmakers. However, we are very aware that all it shall take is another massive terror strike to move things back to square one, Kashmir is such a fragile state. It’s been a long time now and the politicians have totally failed to deal with this mess. Which is why the role of the media becomes crucial. Two recent success stories from Kashmir caught my attention. One is about the Kashmiri cricketer who’s currently playing in the IPL: Parvez Rasool. And the other is about a lady doctor, Ruvaida Salam, from the strife-torn Kupwara district, who has managed to pass her IAS exams against all odds.

     

    These are fantastic stories, and I would urge the nation’s media (both, print and television) to not report them as regular snippets. The media should help turn these two (and others like them) into national celebrities. We must run a series of huge stories on their achievements so that Rasool and Salam become household names in India. This will inspire other Kashmiri youth to forget about militancy and Pakistan, and instead aim to become successful professionals. If this happens, over time, it will help demolish the one thing that keeps the Kashmiris from kicking out the militants from their soil: The sense of alienation.

     

    I do think these success stories are a superb opportunity for the media to directly affect the fortunes of this nation. And we must not allow them to slip by.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Evian has revived the dancing babies that were such a rage ten years ago. Simple, cute idea: Find a baby version of yourself in the mirror. Purity of water, purity of thought. Nice.

     

  • The real strength of this campaign, apart from the sharp focus, lies in the casting and the dialogues. Superb choice of models, they look the sort of folks who would get mighty angsty over one rupee

    Debrief: Airtel: Wonderful casting

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Good fun TV campaign from Airtel. Totally single-minded and very entertaining. It’s a simple little promise: Videos on the mobile for just one buck. What I like about the ads (I have watched three, all very cool) is that they concentrate only on the one rupee per video offer, and yet keep the laughs going.

     

    In one ad, a cab driver doesn’t have one rupee change. Our dude, the passenger, won’t let the buck go, and demands that the cabbie give him the money. The smart cabbie plays a song on his mobile, which he has got hold of from Airtel for just, yes, one rupee. The other two commercials are equally funny. A tapori with his one rupee coin stuck inside a weighing machine. And a control freak mom with her one rupee ‘shagun’.

     

    The real strength of this campaign, apart from the sharp focus, lies in the casting and the dialogues. Superb choice of models, they look the sort of folks who would get mighty angsty over one rupee. This is a good lesson for all creative people, on how careful casting can lift a commercial big-time. The copywriter has done a good job too, these are conversations from real life. In fact, I know such maha stingy people, plenty of them, trust my rotten luck!

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3.5 Fun communication for a mundane promise.

     

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

     

  • The HT story reports that because crime shows carefully deconstruct each incident (this is what makes these serials highly interesting), and present the minutest tricks used by cops in their pursuit of criminals, it's becoming difficult for the police to nab these guys

    Anil Thakraney: Are crime shows helping criminals?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Read a disturbing story in the Sunday HT on how crime shows on television are helping criminals escape the police. This, according to the report, is because these sods learn the tricks used by the cops, and then employ them for their own benefit. Naturally, this is alarming to hear, and given the way India operates, someone will file a bitter PIL, and these crime shows will come under serious pressure. Which will be a pity, because Crime Patrol on Sony is my favourite serial, and the team does a wonderful job. Other channels have launched clones, but they don’t pack in the same chutzpah.

     

    Anyway, let’s examine this issue carefully. There are two parts to this debate: One, do these crime shows inspire potential criminals to take up crime? That’s bullshit, so let’s kill it right away. There’s violence happening all around us. On the streets, in the house next door, in the movies, in the media reports, even in the parliament. It’s all pervading. So to blame TV shows for this is stupid. As a matter of fact, the moral lesson in each crime show episode is this: Crime doesn’t pay. In every single episode the criminal gets caught and is duly punished. In fact, crime shows almost always show the cops in a very good light, and we all know that’s not how it turns out in reality.

     

    The second issue: The HT story reports that because crime shows carefully deconstruct each incident (this is what makes these serials highly interesting), and present the minutest tricks used by cops in their pursuit of criminals, it’s becoming difficult for the police to nab these guys. Having picked up the modus operandi, these criminals are able to pre-empt police action. Now this is quite worrying. Because TV crime shows are based on real incidents (unlike most movies), they are sure to have a bigger impact on a criminal’s psyche.

     

    I have a suggestion to offer: At the risk of diluting the show’s engagement value, the producer should consider concealing the critical processes used by cops, especially those that involve technology. Perhaps the producer can indicate the particular process used, but avoid the detailing. I know this doesn’t sound very exciting, but it’s something that crime show creators need to ponder upon, and very quickly too. Before legal action or governmental interference leads to their closure. And no one wants that to happen!

     

    **

     

    PS: Absolutely fantastic media innovation. An anti abuse message that only a child can see, and it’s invisible to the adult accompanying him/her. Made possible by some super tech magic. Wonder why such outdoor innovations don’t happen in India, we are (allegedly) a nation teeming with tech wizards.

     

    Link: http://gizmodo.com/this-ad-has-a-secret-anti-abuse-message-that-only-kids-493108460?fb_action_ids=10151402018997544&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action _object_map=%7B%2210151402018997544%22%3A458284080919358%7D&action_type_map=%7B% 2210151402018997544%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

     

     

     

  • 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.

     

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    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/