I’m told that my grandfather didn’t like me much. I was a dark child by his standards. I don’t remember much of that, he passed away when I was very young. But I do recall neighbourhood women teasingly asking me the secret of my ‘darkness’ and my childhood mind conjured an explanation of my own: [...]
If this Kamalympics were for real, wonder how many medals, India – the land of the Kamasutra – would win and more interestingly in which disciplines. [Don't miss: Femina Kamasutra Mehndi Cheat Sheet [NSFW], Kamasutra: The Adventures of Rani Bonkeshwari, KS Roleplay Ads, and the big-baap of all Indian condom posts – Rubbers of India] [...]
Many on-screen enchantresses have not been lucky in love and the sex-symbol of the 1970s Zeenat Aman is no exception. After her relationship with Sanjay Khan left her with a damaged eye, Zeenat married the already-married and a decade younger Mazhar Khan in 1985. The couple had two sons, Azaan and Zahaan. But this relationship [...]
A joke on India’s most famous family planning slogan: हम दो, हमारे दो, जब तक तीसरा न हो/Hum do, hamare do, jab tak teesra na ho (We two, ours two, until the third comes along) India’s National Family Welfare Programme was launched in 1951 and posters were (and are) one of the most effective modes [...]
Ashok Kumar might have started as a reluctant actor, but Dadamoni soon transformed into one of the biggest stars of his time and Indian cinema’s first superhit Kismet (1943) had him as the lead. Ashok Kumar’s (born Kumudlal Ganguly) film career spanned over six decades in which he acted in about 300 films and a [...]
How do you spice up a disposable syringe ad? This set of three ads by DDB Mudra for Nirma’s healthcare division Nirlife takes a shot in that direction. To inject the point that non-disposable syringes are the second biggest cause of HIV infections after unprotected sex, the ads bring one of the most popular characters [...]
Utterly, butterly, ignoramus! I am a sucker for anniversaries. They give an opportunity to celebrate something that you want to and the occasion guarantees that readers notice (and also appreciate) your celebration. Was a bit surprised to find that the Indian media was marking the 50th anniversary of the Amul moppet, whereas her golden jubilee [...]
To celebrate its 153 years of existence, the Old Lady of Bori Bunder published a Lintas created advertisement that many, including the Advertising Council Standards of India, thought to be unbecoming of the Old Lady. The ad that stirred a controversy was published in a celebratory supplement in the November 3, 1991 issue of The [...]
Apart from a few Lakme ads an the Lux ads, that is almost mandatory for any Bollywood actress of note to feature in, I haven’t seen the enigmatic Rekha in many other advertisements. Though I am quite sure, that given her popularity she would’ve appeared in a atleast a few more. At her peak in [...]
The Salman Khan in this advertisement for Hero Honda CD100 is about 25 years younger than the superstar Salman of today and precedes his blockbuster debut in a lead role in Maine Pyar Kiya. Before entering his destined world of movies, @beingsalmankhan dabbled for a while in the world of modelling. This is one of [...]
Very few actresses can the match the measure of elegance and sensuality that Kitu Gidwani has. I do not recall much of Trishna or Air hostess, that aired on Doordarshan in the early 1980s, but still remember that Svetlana Bannerjee of Swabhimaan (1995) gave my adolescent skin goosebumps. If I am not mistaken, Kitu Gidwani [...]
I doubt whether the proprietors of Fabina Textiles Pvt. Ltd. watched Rajesh Khanna’s 1980 psycho-thriller Red Rose before agreeing the sign on the fading superstar for the advertisement? There are some films so bad that they are just plain bad, and there are some films so bad they are hair-raisingly awesome. Somewhere in the large [...]