Apna Asman: Film Review

I watched ‘Apna Asman’, a film by adman turned film director Kaushik Roy who is currently president-brand strategy and marketing communication Reliance Industries. The film is about an autistic child and the trauma and he and his parents undergo. The film is about a teenager's journey to be loved and admired for what he is rather then what his parents want him to be.
The movie is set in the city of Mumbai and is a modern insight on a young couple’s desires and aspirations which is true of any modern day parent today.
The story is of Ravi Kumar (Irrfan Khan) his wife Padmini (Shobhana) and their teenage son BuddhiRaj (Dhruv Piyush Panjwani). Khan works for a plastics company and runs the family financially. Padmini his wife who is a classical dancer quits dancing after marriage to take care of the family and her son.
The couple is heart broken when their son is detected mild autistic and a slow learner. Buddhi’s only connection with the world is through his paintings. But his parents are not willing to accept his short comings and encourage him in his paintings. His retarded condition leaves his father broken with guilt and his mother who was looking for a bright future from the boy. The film maker has brought out the frustrations of the parents very well. So much so to the extent that they get carried away by a fake doctor who claims to cure brain disorders with an injection he has invented.
Despite being warned by their doctor (Dr Sen played by Rajat Kapoor) not to use their son as a guinea pig, the father manages to get the injection for the boy and in an inebriated state injects the medicine into the boy.
To their utter amazement the boy recovers and is normal. But the normalcy comes with its own set of consequences. From here the story takes some drastic turns. The boy who returns to normalcy is shown to have changed so drastically that it is a little too much to take.
The boy turns to be a big celebrity mathematician magician and is called ‘Arya Bhatt’. He is shown to become nasty having forgotten his past and thinks his parents are imposters and are after his money. This is where I felt the film needed better treatment as the director goes a little overboard in showing the change in the boy. But finally all’s well that end’s well.
The casting is brilliant with Irrfan Khan, Shobhana and Rajat Kapoor having performed brilliantly. Dhruv Panjwani is good as an autistic child but I did not like his performance when he changes to be a normal teenager.
More than its portrayal of how a couple copes with their autism-affected child, the film touches a chord with its message on parenting. Apna Asmaan takes this story line “How far would you go to make your child a genius?” The filmmaker gives it the sensibility of an urban thriller and has tried hard to make it entertaining yet thought-provoking film about parents and their demands of their children.
Inspired by his own son ‘Orko’ Kaushik Roy’s first attempt to deal with a serious and intense subject of this nature is fairly good. I think it is a must for all parents to watch and learn from it.
Umang Pahwa is the producer of the film. Barun Mukherji is the head of the cinematography department and director Kaushik Roy has conceptualized and penned the story of the film. The music is good by Leslie Lewis. The film that is releasing tomorrow (September 7th) has been screened at several international film festivals and has won the ‘The German Star of India’ at the Stuttgart Festival. The film has been distributed in India by Sony Pictures Releasing India.
The paintings used in the film are Roy’s son’s Orko’s own paintings.
Not sure if the film would be commercially viable but it could appeal to the serious film goers i hope.

Place your ad on my car and pay me as well

In Mumbai we have seen bus shelters beings used as an ad platform. This slowly moved to buses itself being used by brands for their promotions. More so by Filmwalas and TVwalas to promote their films or TV serials. Even Rickshaws or autos are being used by films and TV channels as a promotional platform. Local Trains are being used as an ad platform for many brands and more recently, the private company owned cabs have ads plastered on them. But would you be interested if you are asked to lend your SUV by a brand for advertising on it and also get paid for it? Not sure if this will happen in India and if at all it does then how soon?
But this is not a new phenomenon in the US. I read an interesting article in New York Times today which says that while some companies are willing to pay millions to have their logos on Dale Earnhardt Jr’s racecar, others prefer to pay Brian Katz $500 or more a month for space on his ford Expedition. According to the article Katz who is just 32 is from Manhattan and is one of the tens of thousands of motorists who have signed up to have their cars and trucks wrapped up in advertisements in exchange for a stipend up to $800 a month. These offers are becoming so popular that car owners have been willing to limit where they shop and abide by a code of conduct while they are behind the wheel.
To read this interesting article from New York Times click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/business/media/27wrap.html?_r=1&8seia&emc=seia&oref=slogin
Talk about being intrusive and what could be more intrusive than this.

‘Pepsi My Can’………….

Have you seen the latest Pepsi TV Commercial ‘ My Can’ with John Abraham and Shah Rukh Khan. For all those who haven’t seen it this is what the ad is : The commercial shows both stars getting upstaged by the quintessential Pepsi youth, who represents the confidence and attitude of the new generation. The film opens in a café where SRK and John are chatting with each other. A young boy walks in and spotting them, walks purposefully towards them. Spotting him, SRK and John humorously wonder who should give the autograph first to the boy. As the boy reaches them, both of them smile and lean forward expectantly. The boy makes a gesture, saying, “Uncle, Zara Side Dena!” The dazzled stars move apart to reveal a Pepsi vending machine behind them. The boy walks towards the vending machine and gets his Pepsi My Can, thereby leaving the two stars in a daze. The new campaign has been created by JWT and it is based on the idea of Nayi generation ka naya idea. The ad had been released on television a week ago. I thought Shah Rukh Kan really looks old in that ad so suited the scene where the young boy calls him ‘uncle’.
Coming back to the ad, well all the action seems to be on the youth of this country both for good reasons and bad reasons. Pepsi’s new ad is targeted at the youth. It is a new offering on the block from the Pepsi Co stable wherein the company has launched it’s ‘My Can’. It is expected to reflect the style of today’s youth. The company claims that it will provide the youth of today with a healthy platform. I am not really sure if it is a healthy platform. I mean from when have aerated drinks become healthy? Well who is here to listen to these questions or even answer them. The bottom line is ‘To Sell’ as many cans as possible.

Photo Source: indiafm.com

Indian Advertising's Global March

Indian ad agencies are now pitching for, and winning, mandates from MNCs for creating ads for foreign markets.

* Two months ago, when Procter & Gamble called for a global pitch for their brand Gillette Fusion on UK based Openad.net, the brief from the company was to find ways of persuading Hispanic men between ages of 18-24 to switch from disposable razors to the premium Gillette Fusion system. Rakesh Raghuvanshi, Umesh Nana More and Vinod Paul of the Mumbai-based Live 1 Entertainment won the pitch in face of competition from agencies in Venezuela, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, the US and the UK.
* O&M India being asked to be the lead agency for a pitch
* McCann India being called for an Intel worldwide pitch, and for a Unilever Kwality Wall’s pitch

These are just three examples of Indian ad agencies carving out niche for themselves in the global arena. Of the 8,200 creatives from 116 countries on Openad.net, 768 are from India. “Currently, India represents 9 per cent of the total 8,200 creative up on Openad. After the UK, Indians are the strongest national group on Openad.net followed by Argentina and Romania. This indicates that Indian creative talent is getting far more recognition globally than it used to a decade ago,” says Nina Dinjaski, Business Development Manager, Openad.net, which allows clients to seek pitches for their business on the internet from the ad fraternity worldwide.
Speaking to Business Today, Rakesh Raghuvanshi, Managing Director, Live 1 says: “It comes as no surprise that Indian agencies are coming up with such versatile creative ideas for varied needs. I believe this comes from our multicultural, ethnic and modern society.” Initially, the Gillette pitch was only for the Puerto Rico market, but now it has also been licensed for the larger US market.
Recently, in a multi-agency pitch held in Singapore, in June 2007, Publicis India has been assigned the regional assignment for the Aviva brand campaign in Asia. Based on Publicis India’s relationship with Aviva India of more than three years, Publicis was invited for the pitch for the regional brand campaign development and rollout across India, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong & won the business in a multi agency pitch. The other agencies included were McCann Erikson, BBDO and M&C Saatchi. The assignment is primarily to enhance awareness of Aviva across these 4 markets and to make sure that the brand has a uniform and relevant meaning across the region. O&M India is also understood to be pitching for some global work and looking to participate in international pitches. However, there is no confirmation on this aspect from the O&M India officials.
Further, more ads conceptualized and developed here by large ad agencies like O&M India, Lowe India, FCB Ulka and McCann Erikson India, to name a few, are also being adapted in the West (SEE BOX).
So, can we say that Indian advertising has come of age globally? Prasoon Joshi, Executive Chairman and Regional Creative Director, South & South East Asia, McCannWorldgroup says: “There are various ways of looking at this. At one level, which I consider the most important, Indian creativity is being acknowledged. We are witnessing increasing instances of perspectives, ideation and creative development out of India. Work that is coming out of India is being used in various European nations.”
For Intel’s worldwide pitch for a multi-media campaign—McCann Erikson’s India office played a key role in not just strategy and creative development but in presentation that was made by Joshi himself. Infact, the final outcome of the pitch was that McCann won the pitch. Similarly, McCann Erikson India played a major role in Unilever’s Kwality Walls which was also for the brand’s multi media camapaign.
Explains M.G. Parmesawaran, Executive Director, FCB Ulka: “The world is looking at India differently; and with India becoming a focus market for more and more clients, agency networks are discovering the jewels they have in their Indian affiliates and subsidiaries.”
According to Nakul Chopra, CEO, Publicis India, while both quality and value play significant roles in the equation, the real reason lies elsewhere. He says: “A global campaign will naturally be biased in favour of the 5-10 top markets for any brand. It will then be these markets that set the strategic and creative direction for ad campaigns supporting that brand. Since India now among the top 5-10 markets for virtually all global brands, this naturally influences the choice of the agencies. The fact that we have a very well developed talent pool makes it very lucrative to actually source major parts of the work from India.”
Adds Pranesh Misra, CEO Lowe India, says: “Most multinational clients are looking to centralise creative development. If a global brand is available across 15 markets, clients prefer one universal creative that can travel across markets rather than get separate creatives done for each market. India is being looked at largely to be the centralized hub by most clients as the quality of work here has improved a great deal.”
Lowe Worldwide recently announced its plans of set up a 24-hour studio in India to create multimedia creative solutions for its clients across the world. “Indian talent is being recognised across the world and this studio will allow us to make utmost use of the talent pool here,” says Stephen Gatfield, EVP of Network Operations and CEO, Lowe Worldwide.
Lenovo Group has moved worldwide marketing services such as creative development to a new hub in Bangalore in collaboration with advertising marketing communications firm Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. The new centre offers these services to all of Lenovo’s operations outside China. The India team at O&M will dream up global marketing campaigns aimed at dozens of countries, including the US, France and Brazil, though not China.
Speaking to BT from Bangalore Rahul Agarwal, Vice President, Marketing, Lenovo India explains why it decided on having a centralised hub: “We are a new brand and need to build a consistent identity. Secondly, we have one of the strongest marketing teams in India and a good creative one as well. We have experience in India of building consumer brands from scratch. By setting up the global hub here, we will now leverage the marketing talents available in India.”
Does cost pay a major factor? Most agency heads say quality is what the international companies are looking for. In any case, costs in India are comparable to any other South East Asian country. In several cases, the ideation and conceptualisation is done in India while the production is done in the target country; so, in several cases, it is actually even more expensive than before. But, clients obviously attach a lot of value to Indian creative talent.
Then, it’s not just home grown creative ideas and insights that have found their way to distant shores. Even in the so-called backroom area of media planning, Indian ideas—especially in the field of qualitative media research tools, CRM, data analytics and rural marketing–are being noticed, appreciated and adapted. Media agencies like Lintas India’s IMAG and Starcom Mediavest Group’s tools are being adapted for regional markets like China, Philipines and Malaysia. About 30-40 per cent of IMAG design company dCell’s work is being done for international brands that are not even present in India. dCell has designed Good Morning, a leading soap brand in Egypt; it has also done work for a toothpaste brand, Signal, also in Eqypt and on Unilever’s worldwide brand Clear.
IMAG-Linterland’s rural tools are being adapted for markets such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and China. “Indian business and creative ideas are being appreciated today globally,” says Ashish Bhasin, Director, IMAG, Lintas India.
Starcom MediaVest’s secular planning method (a tool to re-engineer the competitive targeting strategy) and strategic planning tools, that were developed in India, are in use in other Asian markets like China, Philipines and Malaysia.
Ravi Kiran, CEO, South Asia, Starcom MediaVest, says: “Besides these tools and processes, the success of many our specialist business solutions is being replicated across other Asian markets. In particular, business units of Starcom Mediavest India like Xpanse, Enhance and C, all of which have been appreciated by our group’s CEOs in those countries, might be set up in several markets in future.” “When we develop a tool or a process for local market needs, we keep in mind its international potential as well,” he adds. XPanse that caters to the small towns and bridges the gap between metros and villages has been set up in Thailand.
So, while Indian ads may not yet have become the toast of international award forums, the industry is slowly carving out a very significant niche for itself in distant corners of the world.

BOX:

CREATED IN INDIA, VIEWED WORLDWIDE
The following campaigns that have been adapted globally

* O&M’s famous Centre Shock chewing gum ad for Italian confectionary giant Perfetti’s was made for India. The concept was successfully used in Italy, China, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece and Russia.
* Happy Dent, made by McCann Erickson India has traveled to the US and the UK.
McCann India’s famous Coke (Aamir Khan) campaigns has been adapted for the Chinese and Indonesian markets.

* Lowe’s campaigns like Surf Excel, Lifebouy Little Gandhi and Clinic All Clear have been deployed in markets like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and China.
* FCB Ulka’s campaign for Chewits by Parry’s Confectioneries was adapted and run in several European countries.
* FCB’s Compaq campaign was adapted and run in Asian markets like Malaysia and Indonesia

Above still is from the Happy Dent Commercial

Ad Creep

Advertising is everywhere. You step out of your home and there is not a single place where you are not bombarded with some kind of advertising or the other. Be it messages on the backs of car park receipts, your electricity bills, on football or Cricket grounds, on trains, taxis, buses, on paper bags, on the handles of supermarket trolleys, on store floors, in washrooms, even on commodes in the loos, on elevator walls, park benches and the likes. It also includes such techniques as projecting huge images on the sides of buildings, or slogans on the gas bags of hot air balloons. Nothing can get more intrusive, that’s ambient advertising for you. It is said that the word ‘Ambient’ advertising’ was presumably coined during the peak of popularity of ambient music, a genre with electronic textures that create a mood or atmosphere. With the cost of traditional media advertising skyrocketing and a glut of ads fighting for consumers' attention, marketers are aggressively seeking out new advertising vehicles.

Here take a look at some brilliant ambient advertising. They are all international

‘Non Quitters are Winners’

This morning I received an interesting mail on leadership. It was a picture story. The images talks of different important personalities of our times who have been and some of who are still leaders in their own respective fields. They have turned leaders after having failed or rejected but realized that it’s ok if you fail but never quit because you have failed.

There are in all 19 images. Here take a look at few of these examples and who these leaders are.

‘Aces at Cannes’

Last evening as I walked into Joss, the banquet hall at Kala Ghoda I was pleasantly surprised to be welcomed by huge dark bouncers dressed in black and sporting lot of gold jewellery and dark glasses. As I entered the room it had the feel and look of a Casino with Black Jack and Poker tables. I also found few people trying their hand at Black Jack. Oh no no it wasn’t an Ocean’s 13 set. It was the annual event by Leo Burnett –‘Aces at Cannes’ 2007.
Leo Burenett hosts this event every year wherein it screens the Cannes prediction reel of 50 television commercials from all over the world. The creative have been selected by Leo Burnett’s Creative Exchange. They have been selected from the best TV work developed during the year, irrespective of which agency produced it. The exchange believes the selected commercials have the potential to pick up an award at the Cannes festival this year. These commercials are in no relation with the actual shortlists at the festival.The Cannes predictions reel has been in practice at Leo Burnett since 1986. The concept was first started by Donald Gunn, former director of creative resources worldwide, Leo Burnett, for Leo Burnett employees. The reel has slowly gained stature over years to become a popular assessment medium for creativity in television, world over
Some of the commercials that found favour with me yesterday were Coca Cola ‘Happiness Factory’ created by Wieden +Kennedy, Amsterdam; XBox 360 ‘Cops and Robbers’ created by McCann Erickson, Dove ‘Evolution’ created by O&M, Toronto; Vaseline ‘Sea of Skin’ by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York and Women Insurance ‘Taking a piss’ created by Black River FC, Johannesburg, South Africa; Mountain Dew ‘Master’ created by BBDO, New York; San Francisco. I also definitely liked the Happy Dent Teeth Whitening Gum, McCann Erickson, Mumbai. Happy Dent commercial was the only Indian entry in the list of 50 commercials that were picked by Leo Burnett’s Creative Exchange.
The Happy Dent Commercial is a lavish commercial set in the days of the Royal Raj and has been shot by Ram Madhvani of Equinox.
The 54th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is just a week away and India has entered 931 pieces of work across nine categories.
In the past six years, India has won only two gold lions in the film category. But this year, with our largest number of entries, including 77 in the film category, there seems to be lot hope of a good show.
There is one commercial from China-Motorola Razr: ‘Cut Through’ by O&M-China and few from Thailand as well.
As a test of creative judgement, all those who were invited were also asked to pick their 20 best commercials. We will know how precise we are in our predictions only when the final results are announced on June 23 at Cannes.

Check out the Happy Dent Commercial here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v9EetEQrMU&mode=related&search=