Ministry of Information and broadcasting, govt of India has rightly banned the controversial "Layer shot" advertisement.
The two ten-second advertisements are truly disgusting. One shows four young adults (teenagers) ogling a girl and a boy seated on a bed.
One of the four boys says, "shot maara kya (have you taken the shot) and the boy sitting on the bed says, "ha liya (yes, I have taken) and the other boy says, "Ab hamarey bari (now our turn)". The guy sitting on the bed suggestively turns his head around.
The girl on the bed recoils in horror. The camera moves to the perfume bottle. The boy picks up the perfume bottle and says, "shot tho banta hai (shot is imperative/compulsory" and the voice-over says, "Layer's shot".
The second advertisement is even worse, a girl is shopping, and she is bending and trying to pick up something.
The same four idiots (young men) ogle her back and one of them says, "hum char aur yeh sirf ek, (she is one, and we are four, how tacky).
The second boy says, "tho shot Kaun lega? (so who will take the shot?). The girl is shocked, but then noticed a single, 'layer's Shot" bottle on the shelf. One of the boys picks up the bottle and says, "shot tho banta hai (shot is imperative/compulsory".
How ridiculous. The ad is banned, but the damage is already done. What was the advertising agency thinking? That the advertisements are funny?
What do they want to convey?. That women are objects and can be had for fun?. And the company's management. How did they accept such crap? Don't they have any social responsibility?.
But maybe we are trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted. The advertisements had become viral and may be the advertisements has served their purpose. The campaign has created the buzz and got noticed. Any publicity, including bad publicity is PUBLICITY! Bring it on, crassness seems to be ruling the roost.
