Premium Band Names

I have always been amused at the way we name some of products. Ofcourse, I am not talking about companies that name their product simply and honestly after their founders...Siyaram's, Haldiram's etc. What sets my funny bone off is some brands that try to...well...infuse a little of what they hope their brand will be, in the name. Come now, there ought to be atleast a dozen brands named Supreme Samosas in your city. Why, even Kisan (which I think is an excellent and appropriately named company), the processed foods giant, used the fact to hilarious effect in their ad. Add to this 'Best' Biscuits, 'Premier' Tea and 'Tasty' Chips, you have all that you need for a delicious evening spread.

What got me writing about it was yesterday's incident. While I was at the grocer's yesterday I couldn't help but overhear a telephonic conversation between the shopkeeper and a customer (only the shopkeeper's end ofcourse) who had called to ask for some things to be sent home as is generally the practice in such small stores. Obviously the customer wasn't a local and the shop keeper was helping her finalize the list of items to send over. This is how I imaginatively reconstructed and exaggerated the conversation to a point where its worthy to recount on this blog....

Shopkeeper: Haloe?
Madam: Hello? Ramaiah...listen I need some things.
Ramaiah: Yes mahdum...please tell...I noting
Mahdum: What sugar do you have?
Ramaiah: Best sugar madam...how many kilos?
Mahdum: Well, what brand is it?
Ramaiah: Best madam.
Mahdum: Oh well I am sure it is the best. Well anyway, I won't know one brand from the other anyway. Fine, do you have some ghee too?
Ramaiah: Yes madam...Pure ghee
Mahdum: Well I am sure it is. What brand is it?
Ramaiah: Pure Brand
Mahdum: Amul?
Ramaiah: No madam. Amul out of stock. Pure ghee.
Mahdum: So you dont have ghee?
Ramaiah: Yes maam. Having. Pure Ghee.


That went on for quite a while. Thus I came out of Prestige Stores, turned the corner at the Corner Tea shop (I ain't kidding...Corner Tea Shop,Pondy Bazaar, T.Nagar, Chennai, see for yourself) walked through the Brilliant Tutorials compound and got to my place, M.B.Flats.

Gee, when will these guys realise that Palaniappamurugaiyah Ghee sounds just as tempting as Pure Ghee.

And please...don't get me started on all those Bozos like 'M.B' who go around labeling products with their initials as if those initials couldn't stand for anything else. The practice exudes a despicable smugness, no?

Posted by R.C.B

Bollywood Directors' Muses

You might have heard of how Hollywood bosses like Scorcese or Ridley Scott spend whole years pouring over books as part of their research for their next movie. Well, have you ever wondered where our Indian directors get their inspiration from? Well, I have on several occasions. Usually my head is rife with such pondering when I storm out of a movie half way.

I did some googling and here are my findings.

Karan Johar got his inspiration for 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', a love triangle in which a little girl possessed by her dead mother's spirit urges her father to track down the retarded girl he was friends with in the old asylum where he was being treated for dementia, from a very profound literary piece. No, no...not Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Sartre...something far more profound...'Archie Double Digest'. No kidding. He admitted this in an interview for the programme, 'Bollywood Bosses' on History Channel.

Well thats all I was able to dig up to substantiate with authentic references. However I think I can reckon for myself what books some of our directors must have read for their inspiration...

Om Shanti Om ( Farah Khan )- Another horror (of a) film...horrific storyline...horrendous acting...plenty of spirits running wild as in the aforementioned movie. Inspiration: Tinkle Digest (Collector's Edition). In fact her next movie is probably inspired from the big book of Baby names that Sharukh Khan gifted her (really!) which he himself didn't bother reading. Farah Khan was raving about it, the first book she read in the last 12 years. I have a feeling that a remake of 'Amar Akbar Antony' is in the offing.

Lage Raho Munnabhai (Rajkumar Hirani) - Inspired by 'Gandhi for Kids' by Vikas Publications. I'd rather not rip on this film too much. Wasn't so bad after all.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (Karan Johar) A sob story that is second only to his best sob story...Kabhi Kush Kabhi Gham. Inspiration: Onions by Glover Brian (apparently Karan Johar trying to don the intellectual hat after all the 'reads-only-comics' accusations levelled at him. Refer above passages.)

Krish (Rakesh Roshan) Inspiration: Chacha Choudhary Comics....that wasn't too hard to guess right, though one would think the Phantom series to be a likely contender too. Yet Rakesh Roshan clears it with his emphatic 'Indian Hero' harp.