Earlier today I saw a commercial for Gibson Guitars on the television. I was speechless. Upon checking the tipline I saw that SM reader “Rafi” had already sent it in. It seems like Gurinder Chadha is pulling out all the stops on this one. Ever since Bend it like Beckham her star has been on the rise. I’ll bet nothing will make you fiend for the touch of a Les Paul…like seeing it stroked in a Mughal court. Watch.
 |
|
This is the “Director’s cut” of the commercial |
This appears to have been a huge production. A 93 person cast and a crew of nearly 70. See for yourself:
On The Set
- 1 Elephant – walked five days to get to the studio and then didn’t make the final cut.
- 1 Large Portrait – a local Indian artist painted it from a photo of the actor playing the Emperor.
- 18 Dancers
- 2 Fire Breathers
- One restored old car
- 2 Thrones
- 1 Fountain
- 2 Large treasure chests
- 10 piece band
- 3 Crystal Chandeliers
Gurinder even gives an interview on the Gibson website:
KR: How did you get involved in the Gibson commercial?GC: I got called up by Tom Korsan, who runs Great Guns in LA. I hadn’t really done commercials before; I’d always been busy with features and writing scripts. He’d seen Bride & Prejudice and thought the look might work for the Gibson ad. So, he sent me an e-mail and it just so happened I was free. I really liked it! I got it immediately. I knew that I would be able to bring more production value to it, if it was done with the people I knew in India and done my way.
KR: The commercial was shot at ND Studios in Mumbai, India. Had you shot there before?
GC: I hadn’t shot at that particular studio before, but I’ve shot at other studios in India. I had worked with Nitin Desai, who is one of the big production designers in India. It is his studio.
Pay attention now folks, you are hearing it here first. If Sepia Mutiny ever makes a commercial, Gurinder will be directing. Also, I will personally guarantee that the elephant’s scene does not get cut.
That is a damn stupid ad.
Gurinder Behnji (sister) has totally lost it. It all started with Bride and…
So they’re outsourcing ad-film-making to Bombay now ? I know it’s been done for products targeted at the Indian Diaspora before (I saw an ad for a “Dosa Mix” being made in Bombay a few years ago — imagine a 100 takes of a spoon being dipped in a bowl of sambar). But it’s probably harder to do with other products. That’s good news for my ad-film-maker cousins.
Wow! Any idea who’s playing the guitar – that lick at the end is straightup Yngwie. I would have never imagined him making it into an SM posting 🙂
Wow – seems like GC has totally sold out with this most ridiculous of ads…agree with Kush: it all started (going downhill) with Bride and Prejudice..perhaps something to do with spending someone else’s money on making a film…with Bend it like beckham, it was her own brainchild from the start….anyone seen mistress of spices? although its directed by her partner/husband, I’m sure she played a big role in the making of the film…they keep saying its going to come out, but I havent seen it in vancouver anyway.
Just curious, but why did the elephant walk? No ride?
I liked it until she stepped off the throne and pulled out the knife. The rhythm and expression was all wrong from then out. The Empress actress was fine, but the character was all wrong. But the Emperor was good, as was the guitar player and the jester. Chaddha can do production wonderfully–she never needs another art director, I’m guessing–but she can fall short on the details of her grand schemes. I like the concept and the costumes, but the plot is not good.
It would have been a lot sweeter and better if the Emperess was fretful, not bitchy, and if she had to sneak around to get the Guitar in some clever way, as opposed to cut it off the guys neck.
Wow.. she should stick to story lines that involve punjabi girls and soccer.
i wondered when you gusy would report on this! lol! i saw this ad today!
Badmash
It’s actually kinda rare to hear Yngwie do a tremolo picking with judicious string bends, so the last lick can’t be all THAT Yngwie. It’s gotta have that rapidfire harmonic minor goodness to be associated with the flamboyant neo-classical shredder.
So they’re outsourcing ad-film-making to Bombay now?
My bosses brought back some showreels from ad agencies in Bombay in Dec and I was stunned. They’re doing full-on car commercials, all kinds of big names, stuff that would easily be seen in the U.S. and UK without anyone blinking. Apparently Western companies are doing it because you can shoot on film for cheap and have a massive crew. They even visited an animation studio (which had the most surreal claymation spots for MTV India, I was pissing myself laughing), and another that had done a lot of the tedious rendering and background work for Chronicles of Narnia.
hahahahahahah!
Sorry, but I love the bizarre plasticine Poga. I found another spot on the site that was on the showreel we have.
Southie-Dad – right at the end there, after the tremolo picking and just before the bend.
I’m still bitter for having lost $9 and two hours of my time on Bride and Prejudice.
Given that, this actually gave me hope for GC’s career.
Seriously, was this even worth an entry? There are far better commercial made in India. I was disappointed with the ad, for all the money spent, they should have made it far more clever. This was lame.
It was only two hours long?
(ps: thank god for bittorrents…shhhh)
noooooo, dear technophobicgeek! heed my warning and save thyself from bearing witness to the celluloid atrocity of B&P!
Come on everyone, it’s a light-hearted commercial, slickly done and entertaining. Not much to analyze here. I enjoyed it! It’s kind of like a McAloo Tikki sandwich — questionable nutrition, with a somewhat desi flavor, but satisfying nonetheless.
There are? I haven’t seen them. Indian ads suck major ass, to coin an American phrase.
the ms. and i saw this the other night… a louder round of “what the fuck???” could not have been uttered. I mean, it’s rare enough that you see a guitar ad on TV, let alone this… desi…ish.. thing.
whaddya mean indian commercials are bad??? “yeh nahin toothpaste… yeh hai MOUTHPASTE”
greeeeeat….now i have to handle more ignorant comments from the texans that surround me….c’mon GC!
don’t forget “Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream” or “Yeh dil mange more,” Dino Morea’s jeans ad, and of course….good ol’ “fair n lovely.” these indian commercials are all the more funny when you hear them in tamil and telegu!
True, you never really see guitar ads on tv. I can’t recall a single one.
So much better than the loud, obnoxious, in-your-face ads on American TV which merely involve repeating one statement a million times, each louder than before. Good thing is, they put me off TV forever. Some of the superbowl ads are quite funny, but NOT the ones involving flatulent animals.
Seriously though, this whole debate may be due to differences in culture-specific sense of humour.
BB Dude, the vicco ad hasn’t happened on TV in forever…no self-respecting TV channel would show them now. I think you’re seriously out of date. They do happen in movie theatres still, unfortunately 🙁
Oh and if you want a great ad, watch the recent Times of India ad. Sorry, haven’t found a video of it, so the storyboard pics will have to do. Check out some of their other ads.
Wow, how can you say Indian commercials suck? I’ll sometimes watch the Indian channel (Sahara, I think) because all of the commercials are the ones they show in India. They’re so cute and funny! I think they’re a hundred times more catchy than American commercials in general.
Slightly off-topic, but for those of you that live in New York, you can catch Les Paul himself at the Iridium Jazz Club on Monday nights. He’s roughly 351 years old so if you’re interested, you should attend ASAP.
http://www.iridiumjazzclub.com/les.shtml
Les Paul is still kicking around??? Wow!
tricky, no shit?!? thanks for the tip!!
Ew. That ad sux. Whatever has happened to the GC of old? The one who made movies like Bhaji on the beach and bend.. I absolutely ,completely , totally thought Bride and Prejudice was just a one off blunder but this ad has made me thinking otherwise.
Fascinating to note that Raj Zutshi appeared in the role of the mage. This guy has been doing itsy bitsy roles in a lot of movies nowadays. Most of the characters that he has potrayed border on the zany side. Remember Wong from Ek Ajnabee? or that Pimp from Chocolate.. or more recently the guy who runs the kidnapping trade in Zinda? Thats him! He reminds me a lot about Steve Buscemi , who in the late 90s and early 00s had made it a habit to star in almost every other movie.
Um.I didnt mean to but did I just troll? hehe.
Errata.
but this ad has made me thinking otherwise. Should be but this ad made me think otherwise.
Oh the delight at seeing “yngwie” as a title to a SM post!!
but I have to agree with Southie-Dada, in that it’s not exactly Yngwie. I’m feeling a bit more George Lynch or a hint of Paul Gilbert on that lick…
Say what you want about the commercial, but it’s hella better than Bride & Prejudice.
That was for you DesiDancer. We had discussed him in a previous thread.
Is it just me or did the first part of the add remind you of the begining to MJ’s “remeber the Time”?
Desi Dancer, I remember that one of your fifty fives mentioned “One” by Metallica and I thought “sweet!” Now George Lynch and Paul Gilbert – w00t! Rock on! 🙂
Yes! Me too. I imagine Imam instead of the empress right away. They changed the boredom factor here though. The emperor was bored here while the pharaoh was trying to impress in the other. In this case, the emperor looks ill..not bored.
Bong..some Indian commercials are funny and some are moving. I especially like the Peugot and the Jana Gana Mana ones. I agree…the national song is not a commercial but it comes close. Yes?
I’m sorry, but I kind of liked it!!! Is that bad?
GC’s become a fool. Internalizing Orientalism. Who would have thought the maker of Bhaji on the Beach could be such an idiot?
The commercial sucks, yes, but I’m always happy to have my ethnicity/race acknowledged… albeit in stereotypes.
Do I sense some desperation from Gibson Guitars, or is it just me? I’d thought I’d never see an advertising for an icon like the Gibson Les Paul. Hey Gibson, make them more affordable and set ’em up right out of the factory and maybe people will start buying more of them. The last Gibson I bought was an SG Faded. Nice guitar, really but needed the 13th fret repaired (hanging about 1/16th inch over the fretboard) and it came set up out of the box with action like a slide guitar. You know what Guitar Center told me? “Well, it’s a $650.00 Gibson, what do you expect?”
Hello
My friend and I were extras in this commercial and I think I can be seen stood next to the Elephant after the Empress pulls the knife but am not entirely sure. If anyone knows how I can pause it to be sure, I would be EXTREMELY grateful if you could let me know.
With many thanks and best wishes
Andrew