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.
[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.
Though 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).
This video is making quite a wave on the World Wide Web and some males (and a few females) wish they had been born a Hardee's Western Bacon Thickburger. First the ad, the gyan can come later.
Download video [00:01:01 FLV 1.20 MB] Download hi-res video [00:01:01 AVI 4.36 MB] Download for mobile [00:01:01 3GP 1.11 MB] Created by the Los Angeles-based advertising agency, Mendelsohn|Zien, the ads are supposed to start running from March 30. And the ex-Mrs Rushdie was chosen because of what she wrote in her 2007 cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet (maybe also because of her speciality in what is described as 'food porn':
I…started wolfing down bacon Western cheeseburgers after school at Carl's Jr. The sublimely pleasurable taste of bacon…was further enhanced by its mingling with the barbecue sauce, greedily licked off as it dripped down my teenage fingers.
A "tradition of pairing beautiful women with decadent burgers," that's how they describe it. In 2005 they had put together a raunchy ad for a burger, that didn't initially look like one for a burger (resembled a professionally made soft-porn trailer), with Paris Hilton (who else?).
Everyday's an endless stream Of cigarettes and magazines...
[Homeward Bound, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel]
On cigarettes, I've posted before and magazines are a recurring theme on this blog. Since I shouldn't be ranking the best cigarettes in India, I thought of arranging at least the men's magazines in the right order, especially since almost all of them in one way or the other claim to be the best Indian men's magazine.
After a drought that spanned for almost the entire history of magazine publishing in India now there is a deluge of mainstream men's magazines on the newsstands. The only monthly drizzle in this waterlessness was a monthly called Gentleman, which after decades of well appreciated presence ceased publishing in 2001.
The vacuum left behind by Gentleman was for a few years filled by Man's World, which first hit the stands in 1999. Gentleman magazine covers[10 images] Courtesy: Subhadip Choudhury
Drawing up the list wasn't that difficult (but ordering them was). It was to include only the mainstream general interest men's magazines and therefore those (don't know if all from my growing up years still exist) of the adult's only variety have been excluded. Anyway, they wouldn't have been much of a competition.
The initial list had eight names (in alphabetical order):
1. Debonair 2. FHM (For Him Magazine) 3. GQ (Gentlemen's Quarterly) 4. M 5. Maxim 6. Men's Health 7. Man's World (MW) 8. The Man
A little thinking, shortened the list by two for the final nominations.
Debonair - though it no longer features topless female models and has also toned down its content - is yet to regain some of the class. The issues that I flipped through didn't appeal much.
Men's Health was excluded because of it's name and content. Though the magazine might not have only health-related content between its covers but the primary focus didn't match with the criteria of this ranking.
Left with six titles, and evenly matched too - three of Indian origin (The Man, MW and M) and three Indian editions of foreign magazines (Maxim, FHM and GQ). Only if Gentleman hadn't shut shop and Bennett & Coleman had continued with GT (It's a Guy Thing) it would've been even more interesting.
Cutting the Chai's 10 sexiest Indian men's magazine covers
10.Maxim, September 2008. Featuring Gul Panag
9.Maxim, August 2006. Featuring Celina Jaitley
8.Maxim, April 2007. Featuring Mandira Bedi
7.Maxim, June 2007. Featuring Koena Mitra
6.Man's World, March 2007. Featuring Nina Manuel
5.The Man, Quarter III, 2006. Featuring Nina Manuel
4.Maxim, November 2007. Featuring Yana Gupta
3.Man's World, March 2005. Featuring Mallika Sherawat
2.FHM, May 2008. Featuring Nina Manuel
1.Man's World, March 2006. Featuring Celina Jaitley
This proves that for magazine covers that are sexy all that you need is a Nina Manuel and a bikini. And women make for hotter magazine covers (this doesn't need any proof though).
[The information - besides my comments - provided in the listing is according to the January issues of the magazines]
The Best Men's Magazines in India (believe me it was tough)
6. The Man Periodicity: Bimonthly Price: Rs 50 Pages: 176 (excluding covers) Provenance: India Website: theman.in Editor: K Sunil Thomas (Issue Editor); Philip Mathew (Managing Editor) Company: The Malayala Manorama Co Ltd Place of publication1: Ernakulam
Though The Man offers the best value for money amongst the competition, it doesn't rank high on other counts.
We need our monthly dose of content and a bimonthly amidst all the monthlies isn't very exciting - especially when the content served isn't something worth waiting 60 days for. To make things more complex for the reader the people at Malayala Manorama (the company behind the magazine) do not even seem to get a freeze on the periodicity. It was once a quarterly, then became a monthly only to hastily turn into a bimonthly.
The layout is unimaginative and boxy and the humour quotient is low (though humour alone doesn't make a good men's mag - as this list would reveal). And their website too doesn't add any value.
5. GQ Periodicity: Monthly Price: Rs 100 Pages: 194 (excluding covers) Provenance: United States of America Website: gqmagazine.in Editor: Che Kurrien Company: Conde Nast India Pvt Ltd Place of publication1: Mumbai
Being an internet person, I take offence on not being able to easily locate the website address on the print edition especially when one exists. The Indian edition of i is one such. But their website isn't the reason behind the ranking (this after all is a ranking of the magazines and not the websites).
The first copy of GQ that I bought and spend a while reading resulted in a yawn. I never had access to the international editions of GQ (unlike Maxim and FHM's videshi editions that were sold by kids at Delhi traffic lights), but expected some excitement from the newest kid on the block in the Indian men's mag market.
There are too many men between the covers. I think that straight men still have a larger share in the demographic pie. And too less humour. The presentation too is insipid.
But GQ seems to have improved by the issue, though not by much. Hopefully by their first anniversary issue, I'll look forward to becoming a regular reader.
4. M Periodicity: Monthly Price: Rs 75 Pages: 164 (excluding covers and the Kajol pull-out) Provenance: India Website: m-magazine.in Editor: Pranav Kapila (Executive Editor); Amitabh Taneja (Editor-in-Chief) Company: Images Multimedia Pvt Ltd Place of publication: New Delhi
Much like The Man, M too had its share of periodicity pangs. For a better part of its existence it was a bimonthly and to my liking it turned into a monthly (from July 2008). It its bimonthly avatar the magazine used to be an unwieldy behemoth. Now it is comparably more manageable.
In some of the pages there are interesting experiments with page design. There's some food for thought, but not much of fun. Too much space is wasted on full and even double-page images of men!
A name like M isn't very search engine friendly too.
3. FHM Periodicity: Monthly Price: Rs 100 Pages: 136 (excluding covers) Provenance: United Kingdom Website: fhmindia.com Editor: Tushar A Amin Company: Next Gen Publishing Ltdxt Place of publication1: Mumbai
Overlying the FHM masthead on the cover the text says, "Voted the Best Magazine in the World", pity this list doesn't give the magazine similar reverence.
FHM tries to mix everything that a man would need, including those silly personality profile tests. But rival Maxim manages to package things better. Like Maxim it has the advantage of content from sister editions the world over, but there is still something missing - a little bit of salt.
2. Maxim Periodicity: Monthly Price: Rs 100 Pages: 164 (excluding covers) Provenance: United Kingdom Website: maximindia.in Editor: Anup Kutty Company: Media Transasia India Ltd Place of publication: New Delhi
Maxim is funny and also makes fun of the people involved in making the magazine. That builds a personal relationship with the readers. But sometimes the effort shows.
The magazine has quite a lot of goods - in all senses of the term. There are women practically overflowing from everywhere and gadgets, jokes, cars, accessories manage to elbow in some space. The worst part is that it ends too soon. There isn't enough to read, the focus is on the visual pleasures.
While M and The Man had periodicity problems, Maxim took a while to get the price right. They even tried packaging in digital editions and other stuff in CDs to lure readers. But in India the MRP is the biggest bait.
1. Man's World (MW) Periodicity: Monthly Price: Rs 100 Pages: 132 (excluding covers) Provenance: India Website: mansworldindia.com Editor: Murali K Menon (Managing Editor); Nair Radhakrishnan (Publisher and Editor); Anuradha Mahindra (Editor-in-Chief) Company: MW.Com India Pvt Ltd Place of publication1: Mumbai
The oldest of the lot. And uses experience to its advantage. It recently (January 2008) went for a makeover for what they termed as a bigger, bolder look. Look it does better, but the size is a bit too big. Man's World is an inch longer and wider that the much better proportioned Maxim. And yes, it's preferably MW - like JLo, JFK... (or because of GQ, FHM?)
Now what would be the proper name to call the magazine by? MW or Man's World - both names are registered with the Registrar of Newspapers. But the registration number printed on the back cover corresponds to MW whiile the website's title reads Man's World. We should get a fix on this once and for all.
The print is small, the page is big, photos many but not oversized... takes hours to reach from one cover to the other. And the journey is worth the time. Amazing regular line-up of contributors. No other men's magazine in circulation manages to even come close. Beautiful hot women, but not an overdose (actually it isn't possible to have an overdose of beautiful women). Men also get cover space. Both the brains and the things down under are taken proper care of. In short the best than an Indian man can get.
Hope no one sues me for any not-so-complimentary observations ;)
1 According to information on the Registrar of Newspapers for India website
Saket Chaudhary's much loved 2006 romantic-comedy Pyar Ke Side Effects provides us with some insights on why do girls want to get married and boys are usually (though not always) averse to the idea.
There's a scene in the movie where Sid (Rahul Bose) Nanoo (Ranvir Shorey) and Aamir Bashir (Kapil Sharma - Sid's brother-in-law) discuss the finer details of marriage over bottles of beer.
Kapil's observation is that girls want to get married because wedding is a beauty contest that every girl can win, as on that day her make-up, clothes, jewellery is better than rest of the girls. That day "she can be Miss World".
Delhi Times reports/advertises that the ad for model-VJ Pia Trivedi's new show on ETC channel, Dress Circle, is "too hot to handle."
And the Censor Board has asked for cuts in the promo (to be shown in cinema theatres) as they were "too hot and daring" and even post the cuts it would be released "only in theatres running films with an 'A' ccertificate."
Obviously, I got curious and decided to have a look at the "hot" ad and was disappointed to find it a bit damp.
Edgy! Sexy! Hardcore! Prepare to be a part of my circle... Dress Cirlce Under Bollywood's skin! Circle of movies... With me Pia Every Friday Only on ETC Every Friday 7:30 PM
Pia Trivedi in ETC Dress Cirlce promo photo gallery:
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):
The following advertisement (quite sombre and modest by Mallika's present standards) is from the December 1999 issue of Zee Premiere.
When fashion goes beyond the ordinary... Saboos Womenswear, Menswear, Kidswear, Accessories D-1, South Extension Part II, New Delhi - 49 Tel: 6258188, 6257085 15 MG Road, Bangalore Tel: 5597888, 5585519 Visit us at: www.saboosworld.com
Me and so many like me learnt their history, mythology and biographies with quite an avidness, thanks to a publication called Amar Chitra Katha.
Now that venerable institution has relaunched the comic magazine in an online avatar. Though the people at ACK-Media are terming it as a 'launch', the domain amarchitrakatha.com existed for quite a while. It is only that the place has been refurbished. Amar Chitra Katha used be be a property of India Book House but late last year ACK Media acquired it (alongwith another landmark publication - Tinkle). Anant Pai (better known as Uncle Pai) is the Editor Emeritus and Chief Story Teller in the new entity.
The website is being positioned as a "hub for everything related to Indian culture and story-telling."
The site allows users to create stories and art, lists cultural events (powered by Asklaila), and the ambitious ACK Pedia that seeks to be a combo of Wikipedia, Google Knol and Citizendium but limited to India and its culture.
But I am more interested in the comics. There's one story of the week that is available for free (but not for the readers of Cutting the Chai), to access the rest you need to pay $0.99 (Rs 40) per issue. I find the pricing a bit too high to be able generate widespread interest. In this digital age premium pricing often backfires.
It will indeed be a 'pleasure' to see characters (read nubile nymphets) that we grew up with in a digital avatar.
Though the site highlights only one story a week and the others are supposedly inaccesible to the general readers, you can find them here (I just dug out the appropriate links):
ACK Media might take off has taken off the content if they realise realised that I'm giving people a sneek free preview of Amar Chitra Katha comics here.
In this online world, you either show all or know how to hide it proper. There's always someone lurking around the corner.
By the logic that if it is viewable it is downloadable, you can download for free Amar Chitra Katha.
But then I wouldn't like to delve into that. Free online reading is fine for now.
But ACK Media should lower the prices, else people would do just that.
The music industry hasn't yet learnt its lesson, the comics industry should.
Their tag line says "The best thing to happen to men since women."
Well, tag lines can claim anything.
But if you are interested in babes, sex, gadgets, babes, beer, laughs, babes, cars, fashion, babes and a few more babes, then you might be interested in the magazine.
There's more to see than read in there, therefore it doesn't take much time to reach from the front to the back cover.
And there's also a digital version in a CD for the guys (and gals) with pulpuslaceratapohobia.
For me the ads also matter and Maxim (the desi edition) has a few of them that fit into the 'Sexy Indian Ads' category of this blog.
Here they are, in print and as moving images (including the one above):
[This ad actually reminds me of an 1996 or 1997 issue of an Indian men's magazine (there were quite a few back then therefore am getting confused with the name) featuring photos of a girl in a cricket kit (and nothing much else on).] How to bowl a maiden over. And everything else on a man's mind.
We know men care about their girls and tools. Only tools don't make for great cover pictures.
Caution it may melt your mouse. First time in India. eMaxim. World's largest selling men's magazine. Now on a CD.
Cover girls International girls Inside girls Maxim girls archive Miss Maxim Maxim girls home Girls www.maximindia.in
Mentos has launched an interactive website, where you can virtually kiss a sexy babe/hunk. I've specially ripped out the video - a version you won't find elsewhere - (and a few images) of the hot female. Enjoy!
In case you are unable to view the interactive flash on the site (it's not up at the time of posting this) try this link.
Here's a special Cutting the Chai edit of the video:
The much discussed (and drooled after) AskMen.com's Top 99 Women 2008 Edition is out. Browsing through the seemingly unending list (I know there are only 99 listed there) I found three women of Indian origin on the list of the 'Most Desirable Women of 2008.'.
#27 Aishwarya Rai (Bachchan) - Mrs Junior B climed up 13 steps from #40 in 2007
Since it has been quite some time since I filed a post under Sexy Indian Ads and that Kareena is presently keeping the grapevine abuzz, I thought that it might just be timely to post a sexy Kareena ad.
And many like me agree that she looked the best in Refugee (I liked her in Asoka too) and I hated whatever she was in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, I also hated the movie. I still remember the K3G for two things, as both the occupants of the seats besides me in the theatre (a male classmate and a friend's sister) were sobbing through parts of the movie and that about eight of us crammed into an autorickshaw to return home after the show (I'm just trying to keep my mind occupied elsewhere, chocolate tempts me).
In an earlier post I had posted two images, featuring six babes, from the Levi's Low Rise Jeans advertisement that came in the papers sometime in the early 2000s. I discovered the complete ad amongst my newspaper clippings from that era. Here's the complete ad - in one piece - featuring all ten beauties.
[Click on image for a larger view] Levi's Low Rise Jeans. Dangerously Low Agency: JWT
The airing of these ads during the ICC Champions Trophy had upset both the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) and the Censor Board. The complaint on the ASCI website reads:
Visuals of "a woman sensually and orally enjoying the flavours of fruits." are obscene and vulgar because they imply promotion of 'XXX Flavoured Dotted Condoms' for oral sex. Also, running these Ads during cricket matches, which has large proportion of minors and children watching, violates prevailing standards of decency.
The ASCI in its decision said:
Ads violate prevailing standards of decency as relevant to this vulnerable age group. The time of airing and the programme during which the Ads were shown, were not suitable for viewing by children and minors.
The ads are back on TV but on the late night slot. Though DKT India officials denied promoting oral sex through the ads, the suggestive visuals give a different impression. Nothing wrong with that, though.
Meghna Girohtra, from Bombay, has collected 243 vintage Indian print advertisements (on the last count) on Flickr. A collection which she intends to keep growing and wants to create an online archive of vintage ads. It does feel good to know that I'm not alone in my endeavour.
Through my blog I've met many a ad aficionados, but rarely have I interacted with a collector. And I couldn't resist borrowing a few ads from her collection.
Liril (1982) [Come alive with freshness Totally different LIRIL. Rippled green with the exciting freshness of limes. Tangy, tingling LIRIL ...makes a fresh new woman of you. Liril the freshness soap with the exciting freshness of limes A quality product of Hindustan Lever] Agency: Lintas
Ultrx Luxury Towels from Bombay Dyeing (1989) [Ultrx Luxury Towels - in a variety of vibrant colours. Made with superior Japanese technology to give you a towel that is comparale to the finest in the world. Softer, super-absorbent and with an ultra-rich pile. In 100% pure cotton. Available as single towels or sets. Also in a special luxury large size.] ...featuring a teenaged Lisa Ray. Probably the hottest import from Canada that ever arrived on Indian shores. Well, it seems that I had been too smitten by Lisa and mistook someone else for her. Meghna (the source of these ads) tells me that according to her friend Salil it ain't Lisa but Aliya Knightley. Agency: Lintas
More Liril freshness from 1989 [Come alive with Liril freshness With the exciting freshness of limes Liril the freshness soap] Agency: Lintas
Yet more Liril, girl and the waterfall. Agency: Lintas
Bombay Dyeing (1983) [The ultimate in bedwear Polycot - Polyester blended deluxe sheets Beaucale and Supercale - Luxurious pure cotton sheets Bombay Dyeing The difference shows] Agency: Ulka
Thums Up (1986) [Thums Up makes it great The refreshing cola] Before the thunder struck it was babes in bikinis cooling off with what was once India's favourite aerated drink
Bombay Dyeing sarees [Five metres can be a lot of mischief Bombay Dyeing 100% polyester sarees Polyester Georgette sarees] Indeed the five metres can do wonders to a woman (and also the ogling men)
Well I have another adholic in the family, my one-and-a-half-year old nephew Aahan aka Aarohan (more pics here). He likes watching TV, particularly advertisements. In fact he wouldn't have his food unless there's an ad playing before him. My brother and sis-in-law keep the remote handy, as soon as the commercial ends on one channel they have to switch to another. Aahan especially has a liking for bike and cycle ads. And does recall his Chachu (ie me) whenever the Sunny Deol Lux Cozy ad is on air (I don't fancy myself as Sunny though).
Though 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). 
On cigarettes, I've 
Me and so many like me learnt their history, mythology and biographies with quite an avidness, thanks to a publication called 
