My Favourite Prakash Varma Commercials
This is another in the globally popular ACES series of featuring commercial filmmakers and directors that I admire for their skills in bringing creative concepts, and storylines to enthralling life.
Prakash Varma
In 2001 Film Director Prakash Varma, and Film Producer Sneha Iype, established Nirvana Films in Bangalore, India. Since then, the filmmaking duo, have won Cannes, D&AD, London International, and Indian Advertising Industry awards.
Prakash is particularly well known for his distinctive storytelling skills of portraying simple human truths with nuanced performances from a meticulously chosen cast. His filmic depictions have garnered appreciative audiences from around the world.
1. Kohinoor Basmati Rice, Smells Special
Advertising Agency: DDB Tribal, Mumbai, India
Production Company: Nirvana Films, Bangalore, India
DDB’s insightful concept for Adani Wilmar Limited (AWL), one of India’s leading fast moving consumer goods companies, announcing the comeback of Kohinoor Basmati Rice, focused on the emotive power the exquisite aroma of the distinctively flavourful rice has, to rouse one’s sensory perceptions.
Directed by filmmaker Prakash Varma, the Kohinoor scenario has has been masterly brought to entertaining theatrical life, with a cast of 48 performance actors from 12 different Indian cities, with the aim of awakening a renewed passion for enchanted dining.
The commercial effectively underlines the human truth, that food enjoyment is not a fact, it’s an emotion.
2. Nestle, Share Your Goodness
Advertising Agency: McCann Erickson, Mumbai, India
Production Company: Nirvana Films, Bangalore, India
This charming commercial about the emotive bonding between an insecure young boy, and his warm-hearted, newly adopted little sister, not only took India by storm, it also reverberated globally with its insightful and sensitive portrayals.
Directed by filmmaker Prakash Varma, Nestle’s ‘Share Your Goodness’, is storytelling at its best, with remarkable performances by the adorable young stars.
3. Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk, Umbrella
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy, Mumbai, India
Production Company: Nirvana Films, Bangalore, India
Mondelez India and Ogilvy’s integrated advertising campaign, for Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk, based on the adage of ‘actions speak louder than words’, spearheads the charming ‘Umbrella’ commercial, about making someone feel special.
Directed by filmmaker Prakash Varma, the fun actions of a couple expressing their heart-felt affections for each other, are enchantingly portrayed with unpretentious simplicity and purity.
4. Vodafone 3G, The Haircut
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy, Mumbai, India
Production Company: Nirvana Films, Bangalore, India.
This amusing commercial directed with great human insight by filmmaker Prakash Varma, features a scenario about a young lad’s deep distress about the haircut his Mum chose for him.
Fortunately, with the help of Vodafone 3G’s super-fast network, his sympathetic Dad manages to find a quick way to save the day.
5. Cadbury Gems, Museum
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy, Mumbai, India
Production Company: Nirvana Films, Bangalore, India.
Post Production and VFX Studios: Nordisk Film Shortcut, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Storm Studios, Oslo, Norway
The ‘Museum’ commercial is part of Cadbury India’s fun ‘Raho Umarless’ integrated advertising campaign, about an ‘Ageless Life’ with their colourful, little candy-coated, chocolate ‘gems’.
Superbly directed by filmmaker Prakash Varma, the scenario about a man who cannot resist a childlike impulse to steal his favourite Gem hue from an art installation, is ‘agelessly’ amusing with its understated humour.
6. Vodafone, Stronger Together
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy, Mumbai, India
Production Company: Nirvana Films, Bangalore, India
To promote Vodafone India’s SuperNet 4G, the world’s largest data-strong network, Ogilvy brought back Telecom’s iconic mascot Cheeka, India’s favourite Pug.
Directed by filmmaker Prakash Varma, the Vodafone ‘Stronger Together’ scenario, unexpectedly features Cheeka, with squads of Chinese canine Pugs, following a young lad with his smartphone showing strong 4G network connections, as he strolls through various uninhabited locations.
The visually amusing Pug rallying analogy, of data collectivity, and far-reaching connectivity, is entertainingly effective in conveying Vodafone’s consumer proposition.