Cutting the Chai has moved to a new domain: cuttingthechai.com.
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Thursday, May 28, 2009

MP Tourism: Hindustan Ka Dil Dekha

Madhya Pradesh TourismThe last ad of this series was released in April 2007 - the very catchy and wonderfully executed Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho ad for Madhya Pradesh Tourism (Incredible India). And in May 2009 comes another memorable ad. Some feel that the the first one was better and don't think much of the new TVC. I beg to differ, a little.

Like the last time Cutting the Chai is the first to put up the ad on the internet (I checked).


Download video [00:00:59 FLV 1.31 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:01:01 AVI 3.61 MB]


Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho was more like an ad showcasing the wonders of the state of Madhya Pradesh and inviting people to come visit.

This time, the theme is similar but with a little twist, it is not an invitation for MP Tourism but an endorsement (dekho to dekha), a kind of a first person account. And the bioscope makes way for a pair of very expressive (and continually moving) eyes.

This new jingle is also very catchy, quite like the last, and would make for a good ringtone. Preview and download if you like:






Download ringtone [MP3 472 KB 00:00:59 64kbps Stereo 44 kHz]

Lyrics of the song:

Hindustan Ka Dil Dekha

Bandar dekha, haathi dekha.
Barahsingha, aur cheetal dekha.

Mowgli ke jungleon mein,
Sher Khan ko dekha.

Pachmarhi Satpura ka ajooba,
Bhopal lake mein suraj dooba.

Mandu ka jahaz mahal,
Aur marble ka pahad dekha.

Mahakaal mandir mein pooja,
Photo khicha jaake Orcha.

Gwalior ke kile mein bhatka,
Khajuraho ne de diya jhatka.

Dhim tana dhi re na... nadir...

Purvajon ko milne jule,
Jaa bahita mein Bhimbhetka.

Train ki chik chuk sunte,
Aa pahucha mein Sanchi stupa.

Sanchi ki shanti mein,
Khudke aandar jhaak ke dekha.

Hindustan ka dil dekha.
Hindustan ka dil dekha.


The heart of incredible India.
Madhya Pradesh

Related posts:· Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho
· Video: Aamir Khan in Incredible India Ads
· Incredible Colours of India

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Keyboard Shortcuts for YouTube Videos

YouTube Keyboard ShortcutsI had twitted about this a few days back, but since the readers of this blog far outnumber my followers on Twitter, thought it was worth the while to post about it here.

The YouTube video player has some features that would save us the bother of moving the fingers to the mouse and then move the cursor to click the buttons/icons.

A click of a key on the keyboard while watching a YouTube video can perform some simple (and oft needed) functions.

A little list of useful YouTube keyboard shortcuts/commands:

FunctionKey
Play/PauseSpacebar
Move back (rewind) 10%Left arrow
Move forward 10%Right arrow
Increase volumeUp arrow
Decrease volumeDown arrow

[Source]

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Monday, May 18, 2009

Katrina Kaif as Nakshatra 'Goddess of Luck'

Katrina fan Sanjay has been flooding me with requests and keeping with the spirit of this blog I'll try to continue fulfilling as many as I can.

This is Ms Kaif's Goddess of Luck commercial for Nakshatra Diamond Jewellery.


Download video [00:00:45 FLV 978 KB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:47 AVI 3.39 MB]
Download for mobile [00:00:47 3GP 763 KB]


Related posts:· Katrina Kaif in surrogate ad for Old Admiral Brandy
· Katrina Kaif in New Aamsutra Ad

Click here for the complete post...

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Man of the moment - Manmohan Singh

Manmohan SinghDecisive - that's the word they are using to describe the Congress' (and the UPA's) victory in the 15th General Elections. Though the Election Commission is still a while away to declare the final results, the writing on the wall is in bold capital letters - MANMOHAN SINGH WILL BE PM FOR 5 MORE YEARS, and I hope he does.

Though the campaigning by the Gandhi family, especially Rahul played a major role (as evident from the party's performance in Uttar Pradesh), it was the image of the incumbent Prime Minister and the prime ministerial candidate that made people reaffirm their belief in the Grand Old Party.

As much as it is a win for the Congress, it is also a defeat for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies. Politics of hatred might work at the local level, but when it comes to the national politics Indians have higher expectations from its leaders. And the personal attacks also seem to have backfired.

The lesson for the BJP here is that it first needs to build a strong leadership, at this juncture Lal Krishna Advani doesn't seem to be the Prime Ministerial candidate for the next General Elections. And they shouldn't even think of Narendra Modi, the Modi magic turned out to be a hoax in the larger national arena and the Gujarat Riots of 2002 has tarnished his image for ever. Even dollops of development cream can't remove the ugly scars.

The party needs to develop a strong leadership, a leadership that Indians would not directly associate with its rightist leanings, someone like Atal Bihari Vajpayee (but who speaks with fewer pauses). The problem is who will it be?

While the BJP ponders over its leadership woes, it should also start rebuilding its image. And for starters that can play the role of constructive opposition instead of the usual disruptive and rabble rousing tricks that they employ inside and outside the House.

The next five years are very important for the BJP as they have a lot of undoing to do and the Congress would have already started projecting Rahul Gandhi as the candidate for the PM's post for the 2014 elections. They need to counter the Rahull factor too.

Though I admire Manmohan Singh, I sometime wish, like so many other Indians, that he was a little more assertive in speech. Sometimes words (and how you say them) are as important as the deeds that they articulate. But this is SMS's day, his stand on the Nuclear Deal was in a way ratified by the electorate.

Though a UPA win was expected, the numbers even surprised the Congress. Their internal calculations had given them a far lesser figure. About the exit polls, they weren't as off the mark as 2004, but the margin of error was big. I think it Dorab Sopariwala on NDTV who came the closest.

Congress sweeping Delhi 7-0 was also expected and the margins of victory are also impressive.

Having assembly elections with the General Elections undermines the importance of the Legislative Assemblies atleast in the national media. Though I believe that it should be the general practice, as it would save crores of public money.

The 2009 General Elections would be remembered for another thing - the beating that the Left got in its bastions West Bengal and Kerala. It was a long time coming. Nowadays ideologies seem to be a disposable commodity and clinging on to it might not always translate into votes. Beliefs should be firm, but at the same time flexible to meet the needs of the changing world. Else the world would just leave you behind.

Coming back to Manmohan Singh. It is unlikely that he would fight the next elections, though technically he didn't fight this one too (for a Lok Sabha seat), but the good gentleman should deliver what the common Indian expects of him. A clean and efficient Prime Minister is not enough, what India and Indians want is a corruption free and smoothly functioning administration. I know it is a tough task but someone sitting on the most powerful post is expected to work hard.

The Congress should also refrain from populist measures, they might be good for votes but not for the economy, that is slowly trying to recuperate.

Though I want to write a lot more, but after spending 15-hours inside a chilly television studio, working, I think my body deserves some rest. Moreover the head also doesn't seem to be working right. 2014 will be a far more interesting fight, provided the BJP plans it right.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

AC Black Apple Juice/Whisky Undress Ad

This surrogate advertisement for AC Black Whisky (displayed product was AC Black Apple Juice) had stirred up a bit of controversy in the early 2000s. The TVC was subsequently taken off air.

A man takes a sip of Aristocrat Black Apple Juice/Whisky and looks at an attractive woman on the other side of the room, and her neckline gets lower and diminishes with every sip.

As he sips for the kill, he finds his shirt open. The woman is also playing the same game. The tagline says, Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai (Anything is possible).

The agency is JointArms Communication and the company Jagatjit Industries Limited.




Print ad:

AC Black Apple Juice Whisky Undress Ad

Another memorable ad from the AC Black Series was one where a waitress is collecting empty glasses and a man and a woman place their 'AC Black Apple Juice' glasses on the tray side by side. And while the waitress carries away the tray, the glasses collide and so do the man and woman. As the glasses sway, the two begin to dance. And when the waitress turns on the tap to wash the glasses, it starts to rain. The rain dance continues as the glasses get washed and finally when the glasses are placed side by side to dry, the couple freeze in their dance posture.

Related posts:· Katrina Kaif in surrogate ad for Old Admiral Brandy

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Monday, May 11, 2009

Katrina Kaif in surrogate ad for Old Admiral Brandy

[This ad was requested by Sanjay from Bangalore. Thanks Sanjay, for reminding me of this.]

Imagine on a rainy night you open the door and find Katrina Kaif drenched in a white saree (in typical Bollywood style) asking if she could seek shelter from the rain.

Too good to be true?

Well, then live your fantasy in this ad:


Download video [00:01:00 FLV 1.44 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:37 AVI 3.39 MB]
Download for mobile [00:01:00 3GP 1.12 MB]


Katrina Kaif Old AdmiralThough the advertisement says Old Admiral Aqua Pura packaged drinking water, like most such ads, it is a surrogate ad for Radico Khaitan's Old Admiral Brandy. The tagline reads, Har Pal Ka Saathi (A companion for all times).

In the background the lilting duet originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein from the 1974 film Ajnabee plays.

The music's by RD Burman and lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi. The sensuous rain number was picturised on Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman (dressed, not in a white saree, but in an almost white dress that I think is a maxi).

Related posts:· Katrina Kaif in New Aamsutra Ad
· AC Black Apple Juice/Whisky Undress Ad

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Thursday, May 07, 2009

Indiatimes Whatever

Indiatimes Whatever
Whatever!
Indiatimes.com

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Election Commission violates its own rule (and so did Getty)?

10.7 of the Election Commission's A guide for the Voters [PDF link] clearly mentions that "Photography of a voter casting vote is prohibited." But the Election Commission's own website carries an image of a woman casting her vote on an electronic voting machine [Link].

And if photographing a voter casting his/her vote is a punishable offence (should be under Section 128 of Representation of People Act, 1951 [PDF link]) then action should be initiated against Getty Images and their photographer covering the polling in Guwahati, Assam, for these images: [1] [2] [3].

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Jana-Gana-Rann: Awesome

The producers wanted some controversy around the Jana-Gana-Rann title song for Ram Gopal Varma's upcoming film Rann [Official website], and they've got it. Though some newspapers (surprisingly) treated it differently.

Update: The Central Board of Film Certification (Censor Board) has refused permission for / banned the airing of the controversial Jana-Gana-Rann song. This also means that the promo cannot be screened at theatres.

The two trailers/promos for Rann are essentially the same only the text in the beginning and the end are a little different.

Promo 1


Promo 2


NDTV Movies is running a debate around the song. A comment from Subhash Nagre (Hey! Wasn't that Amitabh's character in Sarkar?) in the discussion puts it in the right perspective:

The purpose of the National Anthem is to incite patriotism amongst the citizens, and in these troubled times the Jana-Gana-Rann rendition is appropriate. There is no point praising the motherland where most things are not right, rather the feeling needs to be awakened that there is a lot wrong and it will get worse if we do not make amends. This song does precisely that. And we should brush the controversies aside and listen to this heart-stirring number.

All said and done, Jana-Gana-Rann is an amazing piece. The kind that makes your hair stand on its end.

Rann PosterNot sure who The lyricist for the particular song is Saarim Momin or Prashant Pandey. For the music, it is one of these four: Amar Mohile, Bapi-Tutul, Sanjeev Kohli or Jayesh Gandhi.

The last RGV movie I liked was Sarkar and am looking forward to Rann. Hope he betters Sarkar this time (the sequel Sarkar Raj was pale in comparison).

In his director's note RGV says:
Rann means battle. And battle is a fight between large organised forces. In the context of a civil society and its deep complexities, large organised forces (read news channels, political parties and industrial czars) are not just involved in a fight with each other, but more importantly and frighteningly, they are battling a war within themselves and this is especially true of news channels.

Making news is not the easiest thing in the world. So the next best thing obviously would be to make anything and everything appear to be news.

The way the news are presented today are much more entertaining than family soaps and thril-ers. What's worse is that we enjoy this kind presentation so much that we have got addicted to them.

There is the government - a system which runs the country, then there are wealth creators like industrialists etc and then there are politicians in the ruling party and the opposition.

All the above in a democratic society are supposed to be working for the common people and the one and only means of the common people having any idea as to what those are up to is through the media. Hence the media has been invented as a truth telling machinery serving the purpose of the common people so that they know they are in good hands or in case they are told that are not, they can hope to exercise the power of their vote to bring about a change.

But in free economy system where there is so much competition the media by default is lost in its purpose.

The media is a reporting agency. It reports news. News is what is new. New is what you hear for the first time. So to be able to be the first to tell you the various newspapers and channels have an intense competition among themselves and this they do on a need to survive, on an ego to be on the top and on a greed to get rich.

To be ahead of competition means more circulation and higher TRPs which in turn generate more and more ad revenue which will translate into making more and more and more money.

Also the fact that in the process the people who run the media realise their power of influencing the common people inevitably makes them power hungry.

To sum up, Rann would expose the behind-the-scenes truth of how a truth telling machinery by the very virtue of its positioning has no choice but to corrupt itself to become a money-making and power-brokering enterprise.

He has a point. Doesn't he?

Here's the lyrics for the song (English translation included):

Jana-Gana-Rann

Jana Gana Mana Rann Hai
Is Rann MeinZakhmi Hua Hai
Bharat Ka Bhaagya Vidhaata

Punjab Sindh Gujarat Maratha

Ek Doosre Se Ladd Ke Mar Rehein Hain
Is Desh Ne Humjko Ek Kiya
Hum Desh Ke Tukdey Kar Rahein Hain

Khoon Bahaa Ker
Ek Rang Kar Diya Humne Tiranga

Sarhadon Pe Jung Aur
Galiyon Mein Fasaad Danga

Vindh Himachal Yamuna Ganga
Men Tezaab Ubal Raha Hain

Mar Gaya Sab Ka Zameer
Jan Kab Zinda Ho Aagey

Phot Bhi Tava Shubha Name Jaage
Tav Shubh Aashish Maange

Aag Mein Jal Kar Cheekh Raha Hai
Phir Bhi Koi Sach Ko Nahi Bachaata

Gahe Tava Jaya Gaatha

Desh Ka Aisa Haal Hain Lekin
Aapas Mein Ladd Rahein Neta

Jana Gana Mangal Daayak Jaya Hai

Bharat Ko Bachale Vidhaata

Jay Hai Yeh Marann Hai
Jana Gana Mana Rann Hai


English Translation

There is battle in every mind
And in this battle the future
Of India is wounded

Punjab Sindh Gujarat Maratha

Are fighting amongst and killing each other
This country made us one
And in return we are breaking it into pieces
The Dravidians, the Orissa, the Bengal

By shedding blood, we have turned the
Tricolour into one just bloody colour

Battles ablaze on the borders
While riots burn down our lanes

Acid is boiling in Himachal
Yamuna Ganga

Dead is our conscience
Who knows when it will come back to life

Yet we chant god's name praying
For his blessings

The truth screams as it burns in fire
Without a saviour for it

Yet we sing the victory song

This is the state our country is in
And the leaders fight within

The salvation of all the people waits in your hand

Oh God! Please save India

Is this victory or is this death?
There is a battle in every mind

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Seized video 'reveals dark secrets of LTTE'

The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order has released a video "recovered from the possession of a dead LTTE terrorist by the 58 Division during ground advances made into general area South of Vellamullivaikkal."

Since the original file posted on the www.defence.lk website was an unwieldy 14 MB WMV file, I've reprocessed it in a more web-friendly format.



Sri Lankan authorities assert that the video proves "LTTE's use of civilians as forced labour."

"The video shows footage of terrorists in civilian attire firing at both security forces and fleeing hostages by a pedal gun fixed to an armour-plated 'Unicorn' type vehicle. In the background, civilians brought to build earth bunds are forced to camouflage the vehicle with leaves and branches. The video clearly shows another LTTE cameraman who is positioned to video any form of military retaliation towards the terrorists, taking cover among the civilians brought to forced labour. This is what they do and this is the very sort of footage extracted by international media to carry spread the LTTE's spin on the ground reality."

The Lankan government has also published images from 'Prabhakaran's family album': Album 1 | Album 2

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Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Vodafone Zoozoo Ads - The Complete Collection

Vodafone ZoozoosEver since the ads started airing during the ongoing IPL season, everyone everywhere is gushing about them. And they are indeed cute.

I was surprised when I discovered that the loveable egg-headed humanoids aren't digitally generated but real people in costumes.

Update: da Cunha Communications spreads out a Amul topical ad on the Zoozoo phenemenon:

Amul Vodafone Zoozoo Ad

O&M and Nirvana Films have put together a series that we all would remember for long and I'm putting all that I can find at one place. Enjoy.

[I've kept the videos light so that they play smoothly in Indian internet conditions and will keep adding to this collection as new ads go on air]

Vodafone Zoozoos - Independence Day



Vodafone Zoozoos - Torch



Vodafone Zoozoos - Exam Results



Vodafone Zoozoos - Background Music



Vodafone Zoozoos - Call Divert



Vodafone Zoozoos - Email



Vodafone Zoozoos - Facebook



Vodafone Zoozoos - Group SMS



Vodafone Zoozoos - Ringtones/Silent



Vodafone Zoozoos - Recharge Anywhere



Vodafone Zoozoos - Fashion Tips



Vodafone Zoozoos - Voice SMS



Vodafone Zoozoos - Magic Box 2



Busy Message



Backup Phonebook



Beauty Tips



Bhakti Sagar



Call Filter



Cricket Alerts



Chhota Credit



Cricket Commentary



Dating Tips



Games



International Roaming



Magic Box Two Year Replacement



Maps



Star of the Match 2



Star of the Match



Musical Greetings



Stock Alerts


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