Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Hate speech: innovative use of media



This is a brilliant new innovation guaranteed to get you noticed. Vodafone used it, reality shows use it and now a certain young man has used this device to go from ‘unnoticed’ to ‘most talked about’ in no time.

Vodafone did this little promotion. Two actors would quarrel loudly in a public place. And when a crowd gathered, they showed this placard saying ‘For more drama come to Rang Shankara theatre festival.’ They won awards.

Our reality shows had dipping TRPs till the judges started bickering on screen. Somebody walked out, somebody yelled at the other. And suddenly they started getting noticed.

Big brother works on this premise completely. The show is nothing without all those celebrity jhagdas.

Who can we blame really? The TG loves all this.

Haven’t we seen several people gather when any two people pick a fight on streets or railway stations?

The young man in question simply used this media innovation to his advantage. Why else would a boy with a Parsi dad and Sikh mom go passionately pro-hindu all of a sudden?



Thursday, March 19, 2009

Logan logo

Yesterday we were caught in a traffic jam. There was a Logan straight ahead. I was looking intently at the behind of the car.

The patidev spouts, “Looks like an @%$*#$@.”

I’d have fallen off the seat but for the belt.

“Language, honey! There’s a kid in the backseat.”

He continues, “But it really does. You’re looking at the logo, aren’t you?”

He knows me too well. I sure was looking at the logo on the behind of the car.

And I hate to admit that it does look somewhat.. er.. anatomical. It’s even placed so strategically, you know.

“It’s diamond-shaped,” I valiantly tried to defend the guy who designed it.

“Only the hole is. The rest of it looks…”

“Alright, alright.”

Even through the stony silence, I could hear him laugh out loud in his mind.

“Can’t we move away from this car?”

Now the chuckle was audible.

“No place.”

Of course I needn’t tell you that now every time there’s a jam, the beloved specially looks for this car and stops right behind it. He looks for Meru cabs to follow when traffic is slow moving.

And I seriously think that car needs to put on a pair of trousers.