Sangeeta Tanwar
Media

Red FM rebukes film stars

Spoofing Bollywood celebrities is common on FM radio. However, Red FM goes a step further, rebuking Bollywood stars for failing to deliver their dialogues properly

FM radio is known for whacky ways of spoofing Bollywood celebrities or sports stars. However, Red FM has gone a step ahead in its latest offering, 'Red FM Pe Next' station promos, where Bollywood celebrities are up against outlandish comments and some real rib-tickling wisecracks from the Red FM team.

As part of this promo, the radio station rebukes Bollywood stars for failing to deliver their dialogues properly while they try to encourage listeners to tune in to enjoy the hit music on Red FM. For instance, in one of the promos, the radio station pokes fun at actor Ajay Devgan by commenting - how could a talented actor's husband be such a 'duffer'?

Similarly, in case of actor Bipasha Basu, the promo comments that she is good for nothing other than delivering a dance performance and, in the case of Auro (a character played by Amitabh Bachchan in the movie Paa), the station remarks that he is a smart and endearing kid, except his not-so-perfect set of teeth.

Other actors featuring in the 'Red FM Pe Next' station promos include Saif Ali Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone.

Red FM rebukes film stars
"Generally, promos or celebrity IDs have celebrities endorsing the brand to differentiate and promote it and this is exactly what 'Red FM Pe Next' station ID is doing for the radio station," says Nisha Narayanan, senior vice-president, programming and projects, Red FM.

The promos have been put together by first recording the bytes of both Bollywood actors and the artists (various in-house talents in this case), and then editing and packaging the same before broadcasting it. The radio station shares that since the offering is different and something very unique from the usual monotonous celebrity bytes heard on radio, it is getting Red FM a lot of fan mail and positive response from the listeners.

How do these stars lend themselves to such strong comments by the RJs (radio jockeys) on the FM station? Narayanan explains, "People are used to hearing rehearsed celebrity endorsements. We have only taken a fresh approach to run of the mill celebrity IDs by making them humorous and light hearted. It's not a new concept but it's a fresh approach for radio and it resonates with our brand attitude, acting as a differentiator for the brand."

The promos are being aired on all Red FM stations and a similar activity is being carried on in the south with regional stars.

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com