The Indian advertisements/commercials have come of age and they can give a run for the money to their counterparts on any international platform. One feels proud about the fact that there's abundant talent in house that's creatively brimming with ideas.
But what worries me is that somewhere, on certain occasions, we seem to lose sight of our cultural inheritance that's steeped in noble traditions and values.
Let me try to explain what's in my mind. A commercial or an advertisement, as I understand, must have the following qualities viz:-
(a) should be able to convey the desired stuff within the shortest possible time.
(b) should be aesthetic without letting crassness to set in.
(c) should have the ability to appeal to the sensibility and the sensitivity of the viewer.
(d) should keep the cultural background in mind and
(e) should never be an adaptation of another culture, ever.
To amplify my statement above, I shall talk about the latest commercial on 'Airtel money' that's being aired these days. The ad pans a family consisting of the father, the mother, the son and the daughter where the father has a poor opinion of his son's slouchy, carefree attitude coupled with his excessive obsession on his cellphone and he's shown exasperated about the fact that the electricity bill has not been paid - a job that he'd entrusted his son - and it was the last day. Caught on the back foot, the son punches a few buttons of his cellphone and pays the bill through 'Airtel money'.
After doing so, he announces it by deriding his dad's unnecessary concern - and perhaps, even his lack of familiarity with technology - and the sad part is that his mom also seems to endorse his smartness(?). The daughter doesn't care and she walks away from the scene earlier to avoid her dad's negative observations about her, maybe!
My take.
In our culture, we don't become smart by deriding our parents, whatever be their shortcomings! There are certain things that are taboo and for heaven's sake, do not pass such wrong thoughts to the coming generations. Please!
Tailpiece.
My dad used to be quite angry with any advertisement that highlighted the virtue of 'fair skin'. He was of the opinion that it was retrograde and racist in content! How very true and this is why I consider him as a man well ahead of his time!!
But what worries me is that somewhere, on certain occasions, we seem to lose sight of our cultural inheritance that's steeped in noble traditions and values.
Let me try to explain what's in my mind. A commercial or an advertisement, as I understand, must have the following qualities viz:-
(a) should be able to convey the desired stuff within the shortest possible time.
(b) should be aesthetic without letting crassness to set in.
(c) should have the ability to appeal to the sensibility and the sensitivity of the viewer.
(d) should keep the cultural background in mind and
(e) should never be an adaptation of another culture, ever.
To amplify my statement above, I shall talk about the latest commercial on 'Airtel money' that's being aired these days. The ad pans a family consisting of the father, the mother, the son and the daughter where the father has a poor opinion of his son's slouchy, carefree attitude coupled with his excessive obsession on his cellphone and he's shown exasperated about the fact that the electricity bill has not been paid - a job that he'd entrusted his son - and it was the last day. Caught on the back foot, the son punches a few buttons of his cellphone and pays the bill through 'Airtel money'.
After doing so, he announces it by deriding his dad's unnecessary concern - and perhaps, even his lack of familiarity with technology - and the sad part is that his mom also seems to endorse his smartness(?). The daughter doesn't care and she walks away from the scene earlier to avoid her dad's negative observations about her, maybe!
My take.
In our culture, we don't become smart by deriding our parents, whatever be their shortcomings! There are certain things that are taboo and for heaven's sake, do not pass such wrong thoughts to the coming generations. Please!
Tailpiece.
My dad used to be quite angry with any advertisement that highlighted the virtue of 'fair skin'. He was of the opinion that it was retrograde and racist in content! How very true and this is why I consider him as a man well ahead of his time!!
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