What the silver screen can’t do, the small screen does. Bollywood’s biggest star, Amitabh Bachchan who was reeling under a series of flop movies, got into the limelight with Kaun Banega Crorepati and now Jassi is the latest TV icon. Ramesh Narayan.

MOVE OVER Bollywood, idiothood is here. If the television was called the idiot box, the industry could light-heartedly be referred to as idiothood. And the days when only Bollywood conferred iconic status on its heroes is gone forever. TV not just delivers content to viewers and eyeballs to advertisers but celebrity status to its heroes and heroines as well.

The trend set in long ago. Mahabharat not just made the small screen Krishna into a household diety, it also took him right up to the portals of Parliament. Recently, Smriti Irani, another small screen heavy contested the prestigious South Delhi constituency and has not been deterred by her lack of success there. It is said she will be contesting for the Maharashtra Assembly soon.

Yet the small screen has to be credited in re-creating Bollywood’s biggest star, Amitabh Bachchan. What the silver screen could not do for the aging hero who was reeling under a series of flop movies, Star TV and Kaun Banega Crorepati did, and with a resounding efficiency that has made it a part of TV history today. That it also picked up Star TV and propelled it into  India’s most successful TV channel is another story.

Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin
Yet another TV icon just turned one. From all your countless fans, Happy Birthday Jassi!

This improbable heroine with thick black rimmed spectacles, prominent dental braces and severe plaited hair has stolen the hearts of avid TV watchers across the country and infused great enthusiasm in SET, the channel which launched her and where she still rules the air waves.

Sony Television obviously wants to pull out all the stops and try an integrated communication effort to not just encash on the success, but also keep the ratings flying high.

Satya Paul, the designer, has been commissioned to create a special line of apparel aimed at working women, a pretty good idea, considering Jassi has become a special icon of working women. The Postal Department has chipped in by releasing a special first day cover based on Jassi (the AdClub Bombay took 50 years to merit that. Jassi took one). I was at the RAPA awards for radio advertising when Jassi came as Jassi to make a special appearance. She was mobbed by the audience who were hard-nosed communications professionals.

There will definitely be print advertising to push this success story. Sony is also working the radio waves and bringing out programming that will reflect the phenomenon. All in all, a real example of how a TV star is made, and how she is kept right up there, where the channel would like her to be.

I guess Jassi is also a sign of our times. A signal that women are pleased to be acknowledged for far more than their good looks. They are sending out a clear signal that they want to be seen as serious minds. As the achievers that they are. A very healthy sign indeed.

Turakhia
The great outdoors affords a splendid opportunity to a savvy advertiser to do something really creative. Topical messages on hoardings have long won the hearts of people who are relieved to see a dash of humour or a pithy one-liner as they brave the daily hazards of commuting.

United India has been a great believer in topical outdoor messages and it has worked very well for them. Amul has created history in this field and much has been written on their memorable advertising. The wonder of the medium is that a relatively small advertiser can use it to get far more mileage than what just a couple of hoardings can generate. Turakhia Opticians has decided to venture into this route and the latest hoarding takes off on the Birla – Lodha legal battle. The headline reads “Will hai ki manta nahin!” A tag line goes on to say “fortune in sight”.

If this optician has the vision to endure with good sustained communication on this route, he too can be sure of a fortune in sight.

Ramesh Narayan heads Canco Advertising and welcomes comments at canco@mtnl.net.in

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