Coming of age

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Off late, I've begun to certify several things as having come of age. I'm not sure if it is actually the object in question or it is purely my perspective that has come of age. Anyhow, the latest to be certified in this category is the Indian advertising fraternity. How exactly they have managed to please me is what I'm about to tell you.

I stumbled upon an Indian commercial today that casts my heartthrob Abhishek Bachchan as a Sarpanch. (For those with limited knowledge of Hindi and/or Indian democracy, a Sarpanch is the head of the local self governance body in rural India.) The ad goes like this: a village is torn apart by riots between rival castes. The Sarpanch restores peace by advocating that everyone be known by their phone number and none by their caste.

I must say that I am quite impressed at the choice of such a sensitive subject. It portrays the contrast between the volatility of caste co-existence and its prevalence in modern and progressive times in a country where even the illiterate and the poor can enjoy the comfort of a cellular phone.

I’m also impressed with the ingenuity with which the ad makers have comfortably maintained political correctness and averted enraging any regional groups. Not sure where I’m coming from? You wouldn’t have noticed it but the accent in which the Sarpanch speaks has a Rajasthani / Haryanvi touch to it. The set and villagers in the ad give you a distant feel of UP / Bihar and the music at the very end of the ad has the distinct Maharashtrian beat. Subtle. Uncontroversial.

Nothing about the ad as such, but I can’t hold myself from complimenting Abhishek for his distinct style which keeps me asking for more. You will notice the soft, yet powerful expression that he gives at the fag end of the ad when the punch line ‘What an idea, sirji’ is spoken – nearly tending to superiority and dominance, I’m sure he means to say, ‘I’m innovation’. And the unshaved look does kill!



You can watch the video on youtube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp-Zc1X_9_4