"Shakti Kapoor helps us reach both young and old”: Bombay Shaving Company’s Laalit Lobo on Backpro

We have loved him as Crime Master Gogo in Andaz Apna Apna. He has made us laugh as ‘Nandu sabka Bandhu’ in Raja Babu. While these character’s looks are most remembered for their hairstyle and moustache, it is Shakti Kapoor’s body hair that gets often talked about. In a hilarious film for Bombay Shaving Company, the actor opens up about his ‘hairy’ woes.

"In baalon ne toh mujhe meme bana ke rakh diya tha", he says in the film.

The promotional film for the hair removal brand Bombay Shaving Company’s Back and Chest Shaver - Backpro - features unfiltered, but humourous confessions from the comedy king on his lifelong experiences with body hair.

Positioned as a hair removal expert, the product is a part of the brand’s constant innovations. Starting from grooming products for men, the brand went on to create hair removal products for women and now a shaver for men to remove hair on their torso. Though back razors were available in local brands and China-imported products, Bombay Shaving Company is the first established brand to introduce it in India.

Though the product has a niche use case, it's relevant for people who have dense hair growth on their torso. Earlier men would have to go to a salon, or get someone to shave their back. But with this DIY product, they can do it themselves at home. Backpro has an extended foldable handle, with two cartridge-based blades, that can be changed when it becomes blunt. Since the handle is detachable, it can be used for chest hair as well.

“Hair removal is our core expertise. So wherever there's a gap in the market, we will come up with innovative products for that segment. We will build any product which will make it easy for people to get rid of any kind of hair - body or facial. Nowadays the trend is to have a clean torso. Even though it's a small segment, there was no player in the market. So we want to capture that segment,” said Laalit Lobo, vice president, marketing, Bombay Shaving Company.

Speaking about the creative, Shantanu Deshpande, founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company, said, "We're glad Shakti Kapoor agreed to do this for us. When entertaining personalities like him share their personal experiences in such a delightful way, coupled with our efforts to make innovative hair removal products - magic happens!"

The brand, which has been represented by Kartik Aaryan in the past and now cricketer R Ashwin, has chosen Shakti Kapoor for this product. Lobo says he is not a brand ambassador. This choice is to reach an older audience and the 90s kids as well. Backpro is targeted for 35 to 45 year old men. But younger people are also expected to use it.

“Shakti Kapoor made a lot of sense because he has always been seen as a hairy man. In Kapoor’s early days it was fashionable to be bare-chested and have hair on your body. So he has been featured bare-chested in many celebrity magazines. Now, over time body hair has come to be frowned upon and a lot of memes have been made about his hair. 90s kids grew up watching him. So the idea was to create nostalgia for them. So that's the TG we wanted to reach,” he added.

While the core TG may be 35 years, it is also considering the younger lot who have a lot of hair growth and are currently using hair removal creams or visiting salons to wax their chest and back.

“The idea is to reach anyone who feels a little embarrassed or finds the hair removal process painful and provide an easier solution. So on digital we will be targeting people looking for hair removal cream or waxing solutions,” he says.

While many Bollywood stars from the 80s and 90s are known for their hairy bodies - Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Jeetendra, among others, this is intended to be only a one-off film and the brand is not planning a series.

When the brand approached him to do the film, he immediately signed up for it and even co-created the script. While some parts are fictionalised, some are also inspired by stories from his own life experiences.

"I'm always up for a fun challenge. When the Bombay Shaving Company team came to me with it, I immediately said let's do it. I've always been known for my macho image and comic timing, so the product and the idea deeply resonated with me. I decided to give it my all", said Kapoor.

The film has been written and directed by Adhiraj Sharma and Mohak Pajni of Leap of Faith Productions was the creative producer. The film also stars veteran actor Atul Parchure who plays Kapoor's manager and provides material for many laughs in this comic caper.

The product, priced at Rs 2,295, is only available online currently and its marketing initiatives will also be largely online. It will be promoting it on social media through memes and UGC. “We want this to get a lot of shares. We are hoping a lot of people watch it organically and share it with their friends and family,” Lobo adds.