O&M India: Crafting messages beyond Indian skies

O&M India has created a TVC for a telecom brand, this time not for Hutch. It is also unlikely that you will get to see this film on Indian television because the ad – made for Afghan Telecom – is meant only for the Afghans’ eyes.

“Yes, this film will air only on television channels in Afghanistan,” says Titus Upputuru, creative director, O&M, Delhi. Upputuru devised the idea for the film along with fellow creative director Nitin Srivastava. O&M, Delhi, bagged the Afghan Telecom business in December 2005.

It is interesting that a film for a foreign market was devised in India. Surely, it was not easy for O&M to understand the way the Afghan market operates. The agency did its homework on Afghanistan’s history, the mindset of its people and the problems its citizens face. In fact, the O&M team toured Afghanistan and interacted with the people there before devising the creatives. Upputuru read books on the history and culture of Afghanistan, including ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini.

“Afghanistan was once known for its rich history and modern society, around 20 years ago, before war, terrorism and panic set in,” says Upputuru. Through its research, O&M learnt that there was a general feeling of unrest and insecurity among the Afghan people, even though they are perseverant and courageous by nature.

“We learnt that the Afghan people want to improve their situation, but don’t know how. And the basis for any solution is communication,” Upputuru says. O&M probed on to find out the role of communication in the lives of the Afghan people. “And the shocking truth is this… there is a complete lack of it,” the creative director explains. The fact is that the local population there is still haunted by disturbing memories of the past and doesn’t know how to get out of it. Armed with that insight, the O&M team got thinking, and thus emerged the whole idea of ‘Let’s Talk Something New’.

The film opens on the shot of two young Afghan girls smiling and whispering to each other. A young girl’s voiceover comes on, ‘Why do we whisper when we have to say something nice?’ This is followed by the shot of a father screaming at his young son, who walks away angrily, slamming the door behind him. VO: ‘And scream when we have to say something bad?’

The next shot shows a husband returning home from work. His wife greets him at the door, but he refuses to smile back at her. The VO says: ‘Why don’t we say ‘Hi’ with a smile when we meet our family?’ Later, the same man is shown walking into his office with a big grin on his face. VO: ‘…just like we do when we meet our friends?’

Another shot shows a family eating silently at a dinner table. VO: ‘Why have we stopped talking altogether? Or listening?’ The film takes a dramatic turn when a small boy whispers, “Balle” (‘Hello’ in the local language) to the mountains and finds his greeting echoing back to him. VO: ‘Let’s start talking.’

Next, a small girl walks up excitedly to her grandfather, handing him a cell phone. VO: ‘Let’s talk love, let’s talk peace, let’s talk joy, one and for all… old things are passed away, let’s talk something new. Afghan Telecom.’

O&M deliberately wanted the film to focus on the problems and then on the most obvious solution (communication). It was important to highlight both because showing only a happy story would have come across as burying one’s head in the sand, say O&M officials. The ‘problem’ shots were taken mostly with the camera in one place (to portray despondency); the cheerier ones had wide-angled shots to depict enthusiasm and positive energy.

A nine-year-old girl of British origin (based in Mumbai) was made to do the voiceover. “An adult’s voice would not have sounded as positive and upbeat as a kid’s voice, which has a less tainted, innocent view of everything,” explains Upputuru. He says he was influenced in this decision by two poems by William Blake, ‘Songs of Experience’ and ‘Songs of Innocence’, which depict the vastly contrarian views of an adult and a kid, respectively, on the image of a chimney sweeper.

The ad film’s English version is already on air in Afghanistan; two other versions – in local languages Dari and Pushto – will be out soon.

The indoor shots were taken in Kabul, while the outdoor ones were taken in Shakardhara (Sugar Valley), which is a picturesque area located on the outskirts of Kabul. The film, which took two days to complete, has been produced by Mirwais Rekab of Afghan Films and directed by Indian ad filmmaker Sujai Shetty of Whodunit Films.

O&M had initially thought of shooting the film in a hilly region in India, but that didn’t feel quite right. None of the Afghans who have acted in the film are professional actors. “In fact, they are people we picked randomly from the streets. Some of them are guys from the production team,” reveals Shetty. It is believed that professional Afghan actors tend to go over the top in their acting efforts.

Shetty reveals that the father-son duo in the film is a real one. One big problem they faced during the shoot was getting female actors because they were terrified by the thought of the repercussions, should they choose to act in a film. “Finally, some of them agreed,” Shetty says.

The ad film was reportedly shot on a nominal budget of Rs 35 lakh; the background music has been scored by composer Shiv Mathur.

The advertising industry in Afghanistan churns out loud, funny ads, primarily for its local brands (particularly tea and related items). So, perhaps the Afghan Telecom film will stand out for its subtle use of emotion.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!