A glass of steaming milky syrupy tea is best served cut. One by two or two by three, it embodies the spirit of sharing and camaraderie (and more significantly a resource crunch). Come, have a sip.
Quite a long while ago when I had initiated (and now reviving) the Fantastic Females series on this blog, the name Lisa Ray was on the top of the list of all the fantastic females that I wanted to feature.
While a comprehensive post on Lisa Ray will take quite some effort to put together, here's an ad when Lisa made men's formal wear look irresistibly hot.
This ad (one in the series of many) for Bombay Dyeing's Vivaldi readymade garments for men didn't have any of the skin show that we generally tend to associate with Sexy Indian Ads. But it is a worthy addition to the collection.
Earlier, in my excitement, I had confused Aliya Knightley for Lisa Ray (Hope, I haven't repeated the error. The two look so similar.)
The 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).
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:
When I joined my first job, here in Delhi, one of the landmarks that I initially noticed near my office was the ECE House at Kasturba Gandhi Marg. It instantly brought to mind that unforgettable jingle "Bhool na jana, ECE bulb lana. (Don't forget, get ECE blub).
Gufi Kanwarjit Paintal, (best known for his role of Shakuni Shikhandi in Mahabharat, the TV series) is leaving for work and his wife in the ad reminds him to get an ECE bulb and on the way everyone - the maid, neighbours, bus passengers, Udipi restaurant owner, a Parsi bawa, dhobi, a Bengali lady - also do. Finally he manages to stammer "B..bb..bulb" to the shopkeeper.
This TVC had the multi-lingual flavour akin Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, with atleast five languages - Hindi, Marathi, Gujrati, Bhojpuri and Bengali - used (though this ad predates the much-loved national integration song by quite a few years).
The lines in Bengali "Bhoolbe naa, niye esho bulb, ECE bulb" sound extra sweet. And as a kid I relished the part where the bulb lights up in Paintal's hand.
Yeh Bullet meri jaan Manzilon ka nishaan Zindagi ek safar Chalna shaam-o-sahar Iski raftar ki Baat hain aur hi Lambi raahon pe Ye kya gazab ki chale Raaste taye kare Faasle taye kare Ye Bullet... Enfield Bullet Ghazab ki sawari.
This song is embedded into my mind right from childhood. The music has a distinct qawwali feel complete with the harmonium (though the instrument isn't desi and was actually banned by All India Radio for being inappropriate for Indian classicial music), tabla, claps and all.
If you ride a Bullet or are just a Bullet aficionado (like me), I suggest you set it as your ringtone. Here's the stuff
This ad was based on the famous Leo the Lion - the mascot of the Hollywood film studio MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).
From the late 1970s, it should be one of the earliest animated commercials on Indian television.
One of those ads from early childhood that is still etched in my memory.
This reminds me of a story from my childhood:
The lion lost all his skills (I don't remember the reason why) and went to his aunt (the cat) to teach him.
Being a good maasi (maternal aunt), the cat taught the lion all that it needed to survive.
On regaining his skills, the lion turned arrogant. When the cat tried to make him understand the lion chased her with the intention of killing her.
The cat climbed up a tree, but the lion couldn't. Because the cat didn't teach the lion this one thing, intentionally. And the cat lived on to shed hair on my favourite chair.
Moral of the story: Knowledge is most powerful when others do not possess it.
Salman Khan did a bit of modelling (like many other Bollywood stars) before making it big on the big screen. I remember having a poster of Salman in a bike advertisement (cant recall which).
This is a very young Salman (though he still doesn't look his age) playing football and quenching his thirst with some lime and lemony Limca.
Who can forget his first victory? Limca with isotonic salts to quench your thrist Fun time Limca time Young time Limca time Masti time Limca time Lime n Lemony Limca
Who can forget his first love? Togetherness with lime n lemoni Limca
Fun time...
Who can forget his first journey? Safely travel with zero bacteria Limca
The 'Debonair' here is not to be confused with the adult blog, but the once 'revered' monthly men's magazine. This advertisement from the November 1987 issue invites girls to pose for Debonair magazine.
[Click to enlarge] Show the world what you really are.
How often have you stared at yourself in a mirror - admired your beautiful features and figure - and wished you could let people see the way you really are? Now's your chance. We are looking for models for our colour photofeatures. The photographs will be shot by internationally renowed photographers like Adam Steven, Swapan Mukherjee and Chien Wien Lee. Selected models will be paid handsomely. Many of our models have launched into exciting careers in films and advertising from our pages. Why not you? Send two recent photographs (full length in a bikini and a closeup of the face) to The Editor, Debonair Publications Pvt Ltd, 41A, Dr E Moses Road, Worli, Bombay 400 018, mentioning your vital statistics, height, weight and age.
Be a Debonair girl. Let people see the real you.
Magazines like Debonair found it difficult to get models for their pages and therefore perhaps needed to advertise to find some willing candidates.
Vinod Mehta, Editor-in-Chief, Outlook Group, commenting on the news about Playboy launching an India edition:
The present avatar of Debonair doesn't seem to feature any topless models and has also toned down its content. But the glory days of the magazine are long over.
A couple of interesting bits (the more interesting in bold) about Debonair magazine that I found online:
Vinod Mehta, Editor-in-Chief, Outlook Group (in an interview with Exchange4Media.com):
This blog first saw a spurt in its pageviews in July-August 2006 thanks to a post titled Rubbers of India, something that has now developed into a complete section.
And when we talk of rubbers of India, the first brand that comes to mind is Nirodh.
SRT is India's biggest superstar. There's no doubt about it. And he has further fortified his iconic status overshadowing Brian Lara's mammoth 11,953 Test runs total.
Being a superstar it is obvious that he would have endorsed many a brand. And amidst the all high profile endorsements Sachin Tendulkar also appeared in ads for Bajaj Sunny - the scooterette (This was before the record Rs 31.5 crore deal with WorldTel).
To celebrate Sachin's (yet another) record here's the ad that I found in a February 1994 issue of The Sportstar. "Ride the red hot super looker teen machine" - Sachin Tendulkar Bajaj Sunny 55 KMPL · 50 CC · No Gears · Easy Kick Start · Spare Wheel · Price Rs 12,000 (ex-showroom price Delhi) Bajaj Auto Ltd Akrudi, Pune 411035
Agency: Lintas
And the nice Bajaj Sunny Zip TVC with the nice song (this doesn't have Sachin in it).
Lyrics: First you say you're always with me, Because being with me is fun. Say you'll go the whole distance, Since the love that you found. All right. Come on, what's going on? What you're thinkin'? Then you say you need me, Like the garden needs rain. Then you go and deceive me, Like it's all in the game... All in the game.
Text: Easy come. Easy Go Bajan Sunny Zip
If I'm not mistaken the agency behind this ad is Contract Advertising and it got them an Abby gold in 1997.
Initially thought that it would have made for a good post on All Fools' Day, but then realised that such tricks are no longer a novelty.
Admit it. You've always been crazy about topless models. Mahindra Classic The call of the wild
Mahindra & Mahindra's jeeps are very popular in the hills that I grew up in (alongwith Willys) and also in Bhopal where I studied for a while. They also used to be the staple mode of transport for police around the country before the Maruti Gypsy and other subsequent models came in.
The M&M Classic was launched in 1996 and still (it been quite a few years since M&M took off the model from Indian showrooms) has a considerable fan following. It is one of those cult vehicles. Needless to say, I also wanted to own one.
A 1992 ad for Liberty Force 10 shoes. They were quite popular those days. The models do look very familiar. The boy seems to be Shaan (Shantanu Mukherjee), the singer, and the girl has a strong resemblance with Shenaz Treasurywala, the model-turned-VJ-turned-actress-turned-travel-writer.
But I have some doubts about the girl being Shenaz (or for that matter her actual age). Her date of birth according to online sources is June 29, 1981; the magazine (Debonair) I scanned this ad from is dated June 1992, and she doesn't look like an 11-year-old here.
Update: Amit Mukherjee from Montage Advertising (the agency behind this ad) has confirmed that the models are indeed Shaan and Shenaz. Now I only doubt Shenaz's age.
Years of living next door to each other. Good friends. That's what we were. Until ... Fingers crossed, I proposed. As I watched nervously, She high stepped and clapped! I felt I was fallling though the blue, blue skies!
Aur bheriye ne memne se kaha, Mein tumhe kha jaoonga... Hhh... hhh...
Gale mein khich khich? Vicks lo Vicks mein cheh aushidi tatwa hain, Jo khich khich hataye. To jab bhi gale mein khich khich ho... Vicks lo.
Gale mein khich khich Gale mein khich khich Kya karun? Vicks ki goli lo Khich khich door karon...
To share/embed this video click here Download video [00:00:32 FLV 633 KB] Download hi-res video [00:00:32 AVI 4.13 MB] Download for mobile [00:00:32 3GP 728 KB] [From this post onwards I'll also try to include high resolution videos of the ads so that readers who need them for alternative purposes can have it a little easy]
We all who grew up in the 1980s and the 1990s would recall the ad and the tune, it ran for a good decade-and-a-half. I had learnt a new word, 'khich khich'. And my young mind questioned the term 'cough drops'. My argument was that drops were supposed to be liquid and this was a solid logenze.
This ad made Jayant Kripalani a household face. The little girl in the ad was Isshita Arun (or is it Ishita? The wonders of numerology) - singer Ila Arun's daughter.
And if you, like me, are wondering (I'm not very clued in) where is she now?
She has grown up (obviously) and is an actress and a television host (Some readers might easily recognise).
Jayant was paid only Rs 500 (don't know if Rs 500 could be classified as 'only' back in 1982) for the ad. But this led to his entry into the world of television (though he was already into advertising and documentary filmmaking) and he was later seen in Limca ads, TV serials Mr Ya Mrs (I don't recall that much), Khandaan (not much here too) and Ji Mantriji (the Indian take on Yes Minister). He also appeared in a number of films, the latest being Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. Others were Trikaal and Rockford (saw them all).
As this too would make for a nice nostalgic ringtone. Here's the ringtone version.
"The waterfall was Indian advertising's watershed, when former Air-India hostess Karen Lunel appeared in a green two-piece bikini for Liril. The first in a series that later also brought us Preity Zinta, Liril gave Indian advertising the sex appeal of the semi-clad feminine form, which it has used ever since to sell aftershaves, cars, clothing and condoms..." I wrote in an article for Tehelka.
If what I know is right, this was one of the earliest colour ads to be aired on Indian television (the brand - Liril - was launched in 1975) and colour entered Indian living rooms courtesy the 1982 Asian Games.
For Alyque Padamsee, the man then at the helm of Lintas, the agency behind the landmark ad, "more than the freshness that comes from its features, Liril promised 20 minutes of freedom to the Indian housewife who gets pulled in different directions for the rest of the time."
For those who came in late (to planet Earth) here is the revolutionary Liril ad:
The ad was shot in Pambar Falls in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, which is now more popularly known as 'Liril Falls' thanks to the ad.
Karen Lunel was the first Liril girl. Those who followed her include Aneesha Dalal, Pooja Batra, Anjali Jathar, Hrishita Bhat, Tara Sharma, Ruchi Malhotra, Deepika Padukone, Divya Palat and of course Preity Zinta.
An interesting fact that I never realised before - the name is a palindrome.
So catchy is the La lara la la... tune, composed by Vanraj Bhatia, that I couldn't help but make a ringtone out of it. You can preview and download the MP3 ringtone from below:
The last ad of this series was released in April 2007 - the very catchy and wonderfully executed 
