Clever Commercials

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Soon after our first month in Bangalore, Sahil and Rupal had emphatically declared that the Indian TV commercials were way better than the ones Madison Avenue churns out. Kids know this stuff. Rupal hums the catchy Lay's Chat Street commercial, "Yeh golgappa, karara jhatka..." all day long. And then Sahil does this really cute rendition of Amitabh in a Pepsi ad (Yeh Pyaas Hai Badi).

My current favorite opens with a shot of a Bollywood-type "hero" and "heroine" in a scenic outdoor location, running toward each other. You know, the typical "lover's gallop" you see in Hindi films. Yes, I'm talking about the brisk dash (often in slo-mo) that usually culminates in a bone-crushing hug or similar display of affection. Anyway, after a few seconds, this enthusiastic running changes into a fatigue-laden saunter. The out-of-breath lovers are shown struggling, almost on the verge of collapsing. And that's when the voice-over calmly announces..."Extra wide screen TV from Philips."

What a clever and original play on something we see all the time in Hindi films! I thought it was used effectively to help the desi audiences visualize a widescreen TV.

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