Wonder what connects Dada and Superstar? You say "nothing"? Then, you've forgotten those irritating hoardings of Tata Indicom, featuring Ganguly, which appeared in many scenes in Chandramukhi.

Here's one more. Many of us would have burst out laughing seeing the camera focus on a Coca Cola keychain, in the scene where the mother is dying, in Yaadein!!

These are supposed to be usages of an advertising technique called "Product Placement", but our filmmakers simply donno how it is done!!! I had to make a presentation on this topic recently and hence I happened to find many awesome product placements in Hollywood movies while working for it!

Take this one for example. This is from the Julia Roberts starrer, Runaway Bride.


Well, you saw the FedEx truck - that's just the good part, but not the brilliant part. The brilliance lies in the way the FedEx promise - sure delivery by 10:30 am the next day - is incorporated as a part of the dialogue. This just fits in seamlessly with the movie and doesn't stand out or annoy the audience!!
(ok..I can hear ppl saying "I cant access youtube". So, here's the description. Julia leaves Gere at the altar and is running away in a FedEx truck. Here's the dialogue at that point:
"Where do you think she's going?"
"Wherever it is, she'll be there by 10:30 tomorrow morning".)

There are many more examples - I can remember AOL e-mail in You've got mail, and many products in When Harry met Sally and City of Angels (oh! I love those romantic comedies of Meg Ryan. )

When will our Indian filmmakers stop showing the product blatantly, and keep the advertising message subtle? When will they learn?


PS: Anyone came across some really good or really bad product placements? Write about it in the comments...

It is generally the politicians who say one thing and shamelessly take an opposite stance suddenly. Now, it is Ismail Durbar, the composer of Devdas!

Here are some excerpts from his recent Hindustan Times interview (Thanks to Mr. Gopal, ARRFans for the scan):

"I call him (A.R.Rahman) Guru. He also respects me..."
"I remember he won at two different award functions; he went on to win for Taal and Saathiya. See the humility in him... he called me through lyricist Mehboob and said that I deserved both the awards (for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas). That's why I respect him"

Now for a short flashback! Read what he said in a Rediff interview:

"People have told me my work was better than Rahman's in Kisna. (ARR composed 2 songs and ID composed 8 for Kisna)"

"My work has always been better than his. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was better than Taal. Even Devdas was better than Saathiya.
But it is destiny that he got international fame. Angrezo ne uska haath pakad liya hai toh logo ko lagta hai ke yeh kuch zyada hi hai (Foreigners encouraged him so people think he is very good).
I am not saying this because of jealousy. This is the bitter truth. Whenever my work is good and he takes the awards, I feel bad.
I wonder why people run after name and fame, and not good work. Kyunki hamare yahan bahut kum akal ke log hai (we have very few intelligent people here). We see some foreigners holding someone's hand, and he becomes a big man."

Ah!! What a jerk!