Sep 17, 2005 10:59 PM
6835 Views
(Updated Sep 17, 2005 10:59 PM)
??????: You must be thinking that, which was exactly my reaction when a twelve year old told me that ''Chocolate (the movie!) is sugar honey ice tea''. I was thinking, since when does chocolate contain tea aur woh bhi with sugar, honey and ice? But then all of my misconceptions were cleared.
She told me to look at the first letters of each word. And then a huge lightbulb switched on in my head, but mind you this was a twelve year old and where she learnt to talk like that, sirf Bhagvan aur woh jaante hai. But then again, this is in the UK, where I've heard 8 year olds saying language that made me think ''oh my!''....but wait a second, thats happened in mera Bhaarat too! So I'll just shut up about bad language now.
Well, this title is very appropiate because yesterday on Zee TV (the channel sans Kkekta Kapoor), they showed a sneak preview of the ad. And, as lots of my reviews are on articles I have read, I also happen to have a lot of background knowledge from a magazine. If it were me, I would have called it, ''Shahrukh shows off his inner woman'' or something to that extent.
The background
This ad is supposed to be a recognition of lux's 75th anniversary, which should be a special occasion to mark. And Khan, being one of India's super duper trooper heros, would be an excellent way to advertise this. I wasn't arguing with that, maybe they'd show him looking decent. Apparently he is the first Indian actor to sign on as a global ambassador for Lux (Luxury) soap, following Hollywood star Paul Newman. So I thought this ad would be different, as obviously men and women should be portrayed in different ways.
The soap is produced by HLL (HIndustan Lever Limited) and is used everywhere in the world. But if these people think that Shahrukh looks good then they really need to go to Specsavers.
After hearing the news about Newman, Shahrukh said, ''But I'm sure he wasn't in a tub of water with rose petals around him!'' Well of course not, which guy on this planet except for you would do that?
But it seemed like they'd taken a woman out of the ad and put him in her place with exactly the same setting....And honestly, Shahrukh mixed with this particular setting is not good news.
The actual Ad
When I saw the ad, it seemed like it was on permenant freeze frame. The image of Shahrukh Khan, lying in a bath tub, surrounded by pink and white petals, and aside from having no muscles or a hint of strength, was topless, just completely grossed me out. I quickly rushed to turn the television off when the final straw broke: he said, ''aaj mai aap ko meri khoobsurati ka raaz bathane waala hoon: Lux!'' or something to that extent.
That did it, I lost all respect for the man in that moment. Ok, no problem with a man liking his erm...looks but this is the first time I've heard one say that they're beautiful...I think the word most people tend to use Shahrukh is ''handsome'' or maybe ''fitness'' or something to that extent. And the whole lying in the pink and white petal bathtub looked a bit well, girlish.
Also, no offence to Shahrukh but the whole muscular look doesn't suit him, because he is a romantic hero, not an action one like Arjun Rampal. He has reached this level because of his cuteness and acting, but not because he is one of the finest guys in the world, which he isn't. Sorry to all of you Shahrukh fans, but macho man and Shahrukh are like trying to speak Hindi and French at the same time. (Take my word for it, honestly.)
My advice
I think they could have presented him in a more decent and respectful way: maybe wearing a white stripey poloneck top, with decent blue bootleg jeans, a calvin klein denim jacket and just smiling cutely with his dimples, brushing back his hair and saying, ''aaj mai aapko duniya ka sabse achaa raaz bathatha hoon: LUX!'' then this advert would have been a huge hit.
But they ruined the effect by mixing a romantic hero trying to look gorgeous but failing miserably, surrounded by the kind of bathtub which would make anyone look feminine. I think their 75th anniversary celebration may turn into a mourning period when they open their eyes and see what the ad is really conveying: (I won't tell you, but how about you take a guess!)
To all of you Shahrukh fans, I do like him very much, but you have to agree that this ad doesn't do wonders for his appeal to girls does it? I'd prefer if he just sticks to Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and doesn't land himself in Khushi kabhi nahi, gham har roz by doing ads like these!
Don't forget to RRC :-)
And before you say I'm on a roll, wait for my next review to come out and by that time you'll have forgotten who Chandra is! :D
R.P.S: This review is extra special because its the first one which has a product rating below three stars.
R.P.P.S: Whats a jingle?
