LAHORE:
Bollywood’s involvement with our local businesses be it films, music or fashion, has always been a contentious issue in the country. Any collaboration with professionals across the border is typically seen as a sellout at best and an unpatriotic act at worst. While Bollywood has largely remained a sore subject for our ailing film industry as the thug who steals precious screen space, it has now become a topic in many a household gatherings as the villain who is usurping billboard space for valuable ad campaigns.
When Firdous, a company that has been producing lawn for several years came into the limelight (quite literally) with its campaign last year with Bollywood’s reigning queen Kareena Kapoor, many eyes popped and mouths were left agape at the mere thought of how a Pakistani enterprise could land Bollywood’s crown jewel. While till last year, the industry and people at large were stunned by this coup, this year Firdous’ billboards with Deepika Padukone and debutante Crescent lawn’s ad’s with Sushmita Sen, have set tongues wagging. and on fire.
“I am totally against this using of Bollywood starlets to market our products,” said Shama, one of the millions lining up at a lawn exhibition. “We have such beautiful girls here like Shaista Wahidi and Nadia Hussain who look great on billboards, so what’s the need for getting Deepika Padukone?”. Perhaps with Kareena Kapoor last year, people felt that it was a onetime event — the shock value was enough to resonate with the masses for a very long time.
The fact that now, this gimmick has become a ‘trend’ is what disturbs many as yet another tactic of Indian supremacy.
New timers Crescent Lawn rebuke the critcism against Sen. They say, “We don’t believe in shooting stars, our theory is to use shining stars and Sushmita is currently the only Miss Universe in the sub-continent,” spoke Farhad Naveed, the COO of the group. Omer Saleem, the director of marketing and sales at Firdous, is indignant that his company is being censured so acerbically by all and sundry. “I have managed to sell in India, Malaysia and the UAE because of the Kareena Kapoor campaign. Believe me I didn’t do as much business in Pakistan as I did internationally,” stated Saleem. “This is business. I am not doing this for fun. The return of investment is far greater when we used an international celebrity like Kapoor”. He pointed out that nobody spoke to him about his lawn when they were using local models.
“Who knows our models abroad? Name one model or celebrity that people abroad can identify with,” Saleem asks challenges. And he is right. We have a severe dearth of stars, let alone stars that have global recognition and fame.
Naveed from Crescent says, “We have worked with local talent. Our last few campaigns had Iman Ali representing Stoneage. Since we don’t have much female talent in Pakistan, plus, whoever was available was being used by other lawn brands so we opted for Sushmita Sen as an eastern iconic face people can relate to.”
While fashion industry insiders also condemn the Bollywood move, PR professional Selina Rashid holds a pragmatic view. “These ads are to attract a certain demographic that we do not fall into. Such ads have massive recall and aspirational value.” If they did not, it wouldn’t be a point of contention to begin with. Yet someone like Saleem is quite irate with the way things have turned ugly: “There is no law against using Bollywood actors in ads so how can they ask me to pull down my billboards! I have spent hard earned money on these campaigns. If India is so hated then we should stop all kinds of international trade starting from multinationals. Stop drinking Pepsi and Coke, then if you want to promote local Colas. Ban all international products then,” he says.
The ‘we should promote our own talent’ slogan is a double sided dagger, a handful of media savvy talent exists in the country in the first place and they too do not have the kind of status to lure in foreign trade. Secondly, instead of being threatened and on the defensive, one should become strong enough to compete with international talent.
It is time to stop the endless cribbing and as one gentleman Asghar concludes the lawn war debate. “We should promote our talent to that level where it is at par and even beyond international talent. We should not grow by obstructing other’s growth.”
The Crescent lawn exhibit opens today, only time will tell how much lawn the ex-Miss Universe sells.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 6th, 2011.
Mullas have killed all Pakistani talent ….Pakistani talent now lies DEAD … and to review it…. will take next 10 years … sooo … for now u will have to rent known ppl from outside for sure …
Mind you they cud be CIA / RAW or MOSSAD agents ,,,,in desguise of Kareena …
Quote “Sushmita is currently the only Miss Universe in the sub-continent”
Sorry to nitpick, but what happened to Lara Dutta??
Quote “There is no law against using Bollywood actors in ads so how can they ask me to pull down my billboards!”
You guys will have one now, the country is down, with cabinet ministers and senators being killed, but such a law will be framed and passed overnight.
The country is running out of foreign exchange and our very own companies are spending a great deal of money on indian models and advertisers…..
Firdous – Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone.
Crecent – Sushmita Sen
Lux – Katrina Kaif.
Coke “cricket junoon” ad is made in India.
Several Mobilink and Warid ads are also shot in India.
Candy brand “B.P” made several ads recently all shot in India
and the list continues……..
For more on this subject, check this out…..
http://www.hamsab.net/indian-talent-in-pakistani-adverts-%E2%80%93-debate-continues/
wouldnt it be better if they just used an indian star for the international markets and pakistani models for pakistan? that way people wont feel angry, but it will cost more i suppose.
“We should promote our talent to that level where it is at par and even beyond international talent” – so true!
This was bound to happen, lets not fuss over it as we all know how much bollywood sells here in Pakistan. All Bollywood movies are atleast dvd hits here. But who is to blame?
We have become too much dependent on India.Its seems that for everything to sell it has to got to have an Indian touch.Our People and Companies have become too much obsessed with the Indians and have stared to believe that Pakistani People/Models are inferior or not worth it.
They (The companies) have some how got this myth that only Indian celebrities can sell their Products.The product sells it self if its good and the quality is maintained.No matter who the model is it can not make it sell if the product is bad.
I don’t fully agree with statement of Omer Saleem of Firdous, they could have hired a Pakistani Super model for Pakistani billboards at least.
The marketing and sales people have forgotten the phrase “Think global and act local” when it comes to Pakistan.
I am working in Marketing and Sales field for over Ten Years and this trend for me, Preferring Indians over Pakistani’s is a sad reflection of our Inferiority complex,we are shooting our selves in the foot.
We as a Nation can never rise like other nations, if we continue to think that we are inferior to others and our downhill slide will continue if we don’t support our own people.
@Rajat:
unfortunately she is not high profile enough.. not the sen is either..
Those who criticize taking Indian actors and models by Pakistani advertisers must understand that they are in minority. The fact that this trend is continuing shows that there has been a positive effect on the businesses of the concerned companies and majority of Pakistani support it. Those who criticize are either jealous because of professional rivalry or there is a deep sense of anti- India sentiments in them. In this era of globalization parochialism has no value. Pakistani singers, actors and cricketers are earning millions in India, Wasim Akram is the face of a brand also. So anyone who is saleable will be used irrespective of nationality or religion.
dopnt criticise them when you allowed them in every home of the country through cable, you allowed them to over take the star power of local celebs , so companies have no choice but to hire or get their product endorsed by the celebrity who has most demand.
and what India do with Pakistani Singers, Adnan Sami is the best example if not Rahat !
@Bambbaayyaa:
Do you call it TALENT.
Its not talent it is a SIN (go and learn something about ISLAM).
@Amir … dumbstruck, adnan is not an Indian and he bought immovable assets in India, he violated the law of the land and was punished accordingly … what I fail to understand is your mentality. Whats wrong in prosecuting someone who violates the law or are you suggesting that since he is a pakistani we should let go of him. If this is the case then why don’t you guy let go of Raymond Davis??. Isn’t he an amreekan
This is wonderful! Ages ago India use to such an exotic place that countries were discovered by Sailors on their quest to discover India(USA is the best example discovered by an Italian Sailor). That was Soft Power.
India is beginning to regaining its lost glory and its Soft Power. Pakistan has no hopes of not having a overwhelming influence of the new Indian Soft Power, just like Canada cannot escape the Soft Power of the US.
I am happy that revenue is being generated and flowing into India.
I am not against using foreign models in our advertisements…But it will have bad impact on our own models….nonetheless…reason is simple…just like a trend set in 1980s with GANDASA films being all over…beautiful and talented girls stopped entering film industry and even heroes stopped coming up…result was the mess that we have now….no special stars in films to write home about….the same will happen to fashion industry due to this trend…the same is happening to even music industry as well…
ok we might have raha, atif , ali zafar …but any new talent being encouraged by our media…no….because all we are doing is to encourage the munnis and sheelas songs now-a-days by airing them…and not encouraging latest songs of local bands….barring the few established ones…….
I hope you consider the point…art is boundary less…it can not be stopped so take models from wherever but at least dont forget your own industry…only because they do not sell…..
otherwise just like we are dependent on aid…we might become dependent on everything in future if this trend of depending on others continues….just because it sells.
Nations can progress only through a balance of protecting their own interest as well as others’……!!!!
Is the Debate about Pakistani model v/s Foriegn or is it Indian? If its versus Indian model, its understandable response from people in Pakistan who have negative feelings. But if its against foreigners, its totally out of context, because many multi national brands have international stars and not Pakistanis. In India, even today we find many multi nationals use their international brand ambassadors for marketing their product. This is perfectly ok, as selling goods and services using popular personalities is normal commercial activity.If Paksitani goods and services are sold abroad or in Pakistan using Indian personalities..in the end who is benefitted..? not brand ambassasdors but the people of Pakistan who contribute in providing the goods and services. Pakistani Media needs to educate masses about this simple fact. I am sure, the negative mindset people will not accept any sane reasoning, leave them aside. Lets move ahead..!
@ Anoop Seems a lot of Indians read Express Tribune…Pakistani ‘soft power’ should not be underestimated either.
More well-established lawn giants such as Sana-Safinaz, Asim Jofa and Gul Ahmed are using Pakistani talent so I’m not sure why Firdous and Crescent are going down the Bolly mania route. Of course Crescent lawn sales have dropped dramatically over recent years, maybe hiring an ageing EX-miss universe is their last-ditch attempt.
Hay ……. Veena Malik did not appear in entire comment section ……. strange, isn’t it ..??
@Jamaal,
You would have to give credit to the Indian Curiosity and thirst for knowledge. The only thing Pakistan is known for is Terror. Nothing else. Even the Arabs hate Pakistan for ruining the image of their Religion.