Chuk Chuk Gaadi tune mesmerises Cannes jury

As luck would have it, the Chuk Chuk Gaadi film for the Indian Railways, created by Ogilvy India and Nirvana Films, has won the gold Lion in the Film Craft category for Best Use of Music.

What is interesting is that it kept on climbing the ladder every time it was reviewed. On the first screening, it was considered for a bronze, which was upgraded to silver in the second evaluation. In the final judging procedure, the film managed to get the eight votes for the gold Lion.

Keith Rose, jury president and director, Velocity Films, says, "The script for the music was amazing. I must say that many a times, the Western world or the Europeans don't value or understand what makes good music in other parts of the world. Often, you miss on the nuances if you try to translate a script, but here, the music transcends the translation."

Rose adds that this year, the copy writing or script writing tool was used very effectively and a lot of it was geared towards patriotism, even in the form of poetry.

Prasoon Pandey, filmmaker, Corcoise Films, was the Indian jury on the board. He shares, "The problem is that you cannot clarify your point on a campaign from your country unless you are asked. I am glad that Brian (Carmody) asked me why this film was entered in the Best Use of Music -- if it was entered in Sound Design, it could have got a gold.

"This gave me the opportunity to explain the confusion around the film. I clarified that this wasn't the sound effect of a train. Instead, it was a song from a 40-year-old film. It wasn't that the film was made and the sound track later incorporated. Rather, it was the other way round, where the film was re-crafted around the song."

This has been a great year for India at Cannes. The Indian agencies have received 72 nominations, of which 24 have been converted into lions. Indian agencies have bagged four golds, 10 silvers and 10 bronzes.

Among the Indian agencies, BBDO India tops the list with one gold (creative effectiveness), two silvers (both in PR), and one bronze in Outdoor. The other gold winners are Ogilvy India, Lodestar UM and Out of the Box in Film Craft, Media and Design, respectively. Mudra has won three silvers (two in Design and one in PR), and five bronzes (two in Promo & Activation, one each in Film, Press and Design). McCann has one silver in Press and one bronze in Radio, while Taproot has one silver in Outdoor. Ogilvy, Maxus and TBWA India, too, have one silver each in Press, Media and Design, respectively. Besides, JWT, Grey and Sorento Healthcare have won a bronze each in Film, Press and Outdoor, respectively.

To view other interviews from Cannes 2011, click here.