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| Surya’s
Swift and Kamal’s Tata Sumo!! |
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| Commercial
Cinema? - We are talking about in-film
ads! |
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In
an age when every film strives to
subtly and naturally incorporate advertisements
as part of the script, Tamil cinema
is no amateur in the game. If earlier
it was just a harmless, branded beverage
that an actor or actress endorsed,
today the bond between a brand and
the film runs much deeper and is a
lot stronger. |
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Surya’s
Swift
Take for instance the recent
case of the Surya starrer, Jillendru
Oru Kaadhal that is said to
endorse the Maruti Swift in
its film. It was reported earlier
in some sects of the media about
the imminent shoot at their
manufacturing unit, a first-of-its-kind
in Indian cinema, and the fact
that in the film, Surya will
even test drive the new car
from India's leading car manufacturer. |
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In
fact, the brain behind this
idea is Sujit Kumar of Options,
a Chennai-based ad agency, "The
minute I heard that Surya plays
the character of a test driver
in the film, I pitched the idea
to Maruti and they of course
grabbed the opportunity. It
was the best way for the manufacturer
to make in-roads into the regional
market."
As for director Krishna for
Jillendru Oru Kaadhal, the idea
fit perfectly with his script,
and since he didn't have to
make any adverse changes, the
concept was approved |
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Kamal’s
Tata Sumo
Even in the Kamal Hassan
starrer, Vettayadu Vilayadu,
director Gautham Menon uses
the car, Tata Sumo, in the film.
"I believe that any advertisement
in the film should go with the
flow of the film and should
not be forced. It worked for
me, as Kamal plays the role
of a police officer and most
officers are generally seen
driving a Sumo. In fact, in
the film, he even uses an Apple
laptop, which is again a requirement
of the script and not something
forced." |
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Tata
Indicom in Chandramukhi
If
readers will recall, even in
the film Chandramukhi, Tata
Indicom had a huge role to play.
Imposing billboards in the background
and actors using Tata Indicom
phones in the film were all
subtly added, without intruding
with the scene or the film.
Even in the film Anniyan, Vivek
sports a Knorr Soup baniyan
in one of the scenes, thereby
subtly endorsing the product.
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Director
Sujith of Priyasakhi too shares the
sentiments expressed by Gautham. "In
Priyasakhi, there is a scene where
the hero gifts his girlfriend a diamond
ring, and hence, it was natural for
me to rope in Sanghini Diamonds. It
worked for me as well as for the client." |
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