For a company of its size, vintage and pedigree, Coca-Cola’s advertising in India has been positively pathetic since day one. But its new commercial, shot by Rajeev Menon, is distinctly, even if disgustingly and disagreeably, Indian.
Centred around a bottle of Coke that goes missing on a train while it is traversing through a tunnel, the ad elevates poor etiquette into the great social unifier. Hearing one belch in public gives many the heebie-jeebies; to see a whole bogie revel in the collective oral gas released by all, is, well, yucky.
Nevertheless, the sight of “communal belching” (because “sabka thanda ek“) on national television is interesting. In that it asks if our sophistication about what is a natural biological reaction of drinking an aerated drink is not just a mere put-on, if not completely un-Indian.
The commercial is interesting for one other reason. The Hindi version features the man all Bollywood seems to think will be the first Indian actor to win an Oscar, Aamir Khan as the train attendant. And the Tamil version stars the national award winning actor Vikram.
Who’s the better actor on the evidence of the ad? You make the pick.
Cross-posted on sans serif
Aamir seems better…Range of expressions. Interesting, sharp analysis of the ad…
Aamir in the ad but Vikram is a better actor on big screen.
Aamir seemed a better actor when you play the video with mute on… His facial expressions convey so much.
let me play the devil’s advocate ….
sab ka jhanDa ek
sab ka ThanDa ek
ad ka concept bhi ek
par inka ad maTTum anek?
What about the old guy in ‘Airtel’ ad (grandson coming home to connect his father with grandpa). the cast is same except that the old man got two wives- One Northi and one Tamil Paati
I think It is wrong to compare 2 actors ..especially because both have been accomplished in their own ways. and both have their own styles.
Let us not compare Apples and oranges.
How come the AD is there in Tamil ?? while in Udaya and Other Kannada channels we get the Dubbed Ad in kannada of Aamir .
Is Aamir a familar face to People of Karnataka than the neighbouring TN?
Or is it fascist TAMS only want to see everything in TAMIL with TAMIL faces?
or is there any ban on dubbed ads in TN?
Someone please enlighten …
The ad says “..we are all the same..” – in what way? (according to the context in the ad) in having a sip in stealth!!?? The ad goes on to say that “we are all the same because.. sabka tanda ek hain”.. but such mistakes are not tolerable.
Vikram’s expressions are pathetic. Aamir can’t be compared with this regional guy.
I think the reason for having separate ads, is that most of them in TN are not watching Hindi movies and they (other than chennai) would not be recognizing Aamir. But thats not the case with Kannada people, they use both language and also they can recognize any Hindi actors.
Its nearly 60 years of India, but this part of it is still separated from the rest. Its held up because of the conservative politicians.