#Ghanchakkar : A Case Study on Product Placement

So, I have been gone for more than a month. Yes, I have been busy and had some work cut out which needed attention.  Whether it will happen in the future or not, I do not know. But one thing is for sure: this site will keep getting its updates.

This article is dedicated to Ghanchakkar, the film. I caught up with the movie very recently, and no, I am not going to write a review. I am here to talk about the most prominent aspect of the movie (at least for me!)  : Product Placements.

Product placements in movies are nothing new. Right from the Yellow Rajdoot of Rishi Kapoor in Bobby, to the movies nowadays where Shahrukh only drinks Pepsi in his movies, we have come a long way. While earlier the brand mentions used to be either sublime, or merged with the storyline, nowadays, that art is lost in the gamut of brand names ready to throw in money to have their product being visible for 2 seconds on the silver screen. The producers too dont mind for obvious reasons. Why refuse money? After all, it does boil down to recovering money!

Amongst those Gamut of movies, Ghanchakkar can be said to be a perfect example of how to do it right! After all, it was being handled by the CEO of UTV himself, the ex P&G MBA – Siddharth Roy Kapur himself. If he would not know how to handle brands, who will? While the story was good, and the pace a bit slow, one simply cannot miss the brands which have paid their money to the producers to get their brands mentioned in the movie. This guy knows how to merge the brands with the storyline. Let me go step by step, rather  bullet by bullet:

• Vogue and Cosmopolitan- Vidya Balan is an overtly, some may say, obnoxiously, fashionable housewife who loves wearing fashionable, quirky, clothes which are in fashion. This includes a sleazy red costume with a guitar sewed on it! What are her inspirations? Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Normal movie makers would just have Vogue lying around in the vicinity of the actors. But Mr. Kapur went one step further where he has Neetu (Mrs. Balan) discussing how Vogue showcases the newest trends, and how Emraan Hashmi never appreciates it. Vogue is the new age Grih-Shobha without which the housewife cannot stay. The character of Vidya Balan is obsessed with her magazines and most of the conversations revolve around her magazines and clothes.
• Sony and Samsung – Lets come to Emraan Hashmi. He is obsessesed with Television. Like any House-Male, He loves to sit in front of his television and laze around while his wife taunts him about it. Now that they pull a heist, he fantasizes about getting a television. Which one? Samsung or Sony? While in conversations, the audience is told about the pros and cons of both brands as Emraan and Namit discuss which TV to buy when they get their hands on the money. Samsung would have a bigger screen, while Sony would have better clarity. Also, Samsung is coming out with a smart TV!
• Fortis hospitals: We all know (without spoilers) that the character of Emraan Hashmi loses his memory. How? Well, he meets with an accident. Ok.. So he must have been taken to a hospital, right? Which one, you ask? Fortis Hospital in Bandra.. the same one in which Amitabh Bachhan goes for a treatment!  When Emraan tells this to his abducters, they refuse to believe him. Why? because it is not possible for a normal person to afford the same hospital as Amitabh Bachhan! But here is the catch :  He validates his point by taking them to the hospital thus making the point that this hospital is affordable even for the normal public. Maybe, they paid the most for their product placement, as apart from the big billboards and 24X7 facility of available doctors, the word ‘hospital’ is replaced by ‘Fortis‘.  Any normal film maker would have simply shown the hospital and the billboard.
• IDBI Bank : Now, this is the most interesting product placement. In one part of the movie, Emraan Hashmi starts doubting his own wife because of his fading memory. He calles up Neetu (Balan) and asks which bank has their locker? He is told that it is in IDBI Bank. He arrives there in an agitated state, and demands to have a look inside the locker. The customer service lady ( who happens to be an extremely attractive lady) informs that since it is a joint account, it can only be opened when both the parties are present. Emraan Hashmi creates a scene inside the bank and is immediately kicked out of the bank by the security guard. He abuses the bank saying “chor hain yahaan pe sab.. police bulaaoonga” and leaves. Here we ” hear a couple of people talking about the bank. “Ye aadmi pagal hai kya?” “Haan. Kitna achha bank hai. Service bhi badhiya hai.. ” and this is said while these two characters are a part of the background in a matter of fact manner. The bank’s service, its credibility, and customer feedback, all shown within 3 minutes of the movie.
• Zee network : The only channel shown playing in Emraan Hashmi’s house is  the Zee Network. The favorite channel of Emraan Hashmi is Zee Cinema where we gets turned on by watching Tarzan starring Kimi Kaatkar. The abductors watch Horscope on Zee news, and talking about the shows showcased in the channel.
• Tata Nano – Nano has been trying to make a mark as the young India’s Scooter. Here Vidya Balan remembers the late night drives they used to take in their Nano, and they later go on a long drive in their Nano too.
• Food Bazaar – The packet of Food bazaar is placed prominently inside the trunk of their bed when Emraan Hashmi goes on the search for their lost money. Maybe, they paid the least. it was visible long enough to register in the mid of the consumer, but not too long to have been though to have consciously been put there.
• THE WINE – Emraan Hashmi is a regular red wine drinker. However, the wine is unnamed in the movie. I believe there was a chance for a liquor brand to showcase their brand and associate themselves with the film. From the looks of the bottle, it looked like a Madera red wine from Sula. Maybe, they backed out in the last moment, and their name was removed from the dialogues.

For all the budding commercial Film makers, this movie should be a case study of how product placements should be done in an overtly manner – Seena taan ke. The brands have been intertwined so well with the movie, that they become a part of the movie. Vidya Balan is inseparable from her Vogue, Emraan Hashmi from his Zee Cinema, Fortis from Hospitals, IDBI from its customer service, and the story from its.. well.. lets just leave it there.

Here is what I leave you with :