Kaash phool, shiuli, white cotton clouds in a clear blue sky, bamboo structures coming up on every street…if these are signs that herald the coming of Durga Puja, so do festive commercials that many brands make specially for the season.
New Puja advertisements are released every year and some old ones, too, remain stuck in our minds.
My Kolkata draws up a list of 10 Durga Puja special-advertisements over the years.
Shalimar
The Shalimar advertisement is not just a minute-long product endorsement but spells nostalgia in every frame. The jingle of this evergreen advertisement touches the heart of every Bengali. The advertisement, albeit an old one, takes Gen Z into flashback mode as they relive the memories of Durga Puja celebrations in a joint family with relatives coming together. The warmth of a bonedi bari is recreated in this advertisement.
The Shalimar advertisement was later remade with the same jingle featuring a wide cast of singers like Srinkanto Acharya, Bratati Bandopadhyay, Lopamudra Mitra, Rupam Islam, Jeet Ganguly, Chandrabindu and others.
Pantaloons
The 2018 advertisement is a sweet story of Pujo prem. It shows how young Sohini (Puchki) realises her love for her elder brother’s friend, Sujoy. The realisation begins during her Pujo shopping and her love gradually blooms over the five days of festivity. The advertisement had also taken the internet by storm with “Sujoy da and Puchki” memes that year. Every girl was looking for her ‘Sujoy da’ and some couldn’t stop admiring her elder brother for pairing them up in the end. The song, written and sung by Anupam Roy, won hearts.
Fortune Food with Sawan Dutta
For the first time in 2017, a brand collaborated with an internet sensation or an influencer for a Puja advertisement. This advertisement by Fortune Food starred Sawan Dutta who sang a melody on the Puja-special menu from Sashthi to Dashami. The pet pujo on Durga Puja is a true Bengali trait and the song did justice to this tradition of ours. We all loved Sawan Dutta’s lyrics!
Coca Cola
Another iconic advertisement from Coca Cola on Pujo prem. The catchy jingle quickly caught the attention of the youth and before they realised, most of them were humming it. The advertisement portrayed a sweet courtship between a young boy and a girl that begins on Saptami. The innocence portrayed in this advertisement and the barir pujo rekindle nostalgia.
Tanishq
This advertisement was released last year. The one-minute-forty-seven second advertisement begins with an elderly widow narrating the story of Durga Puja to her granddaughter while making jewellery for the idol. The little girl is fascinated by the elderly woman’s narration that Viswakarma had made jewellery for Ma Durga and she compares the old woman with Vishwakarma. The advertisement aptly ends with the little girl’s mother gifting the elderly woman a set of gold bangles saying, “The one who adorned the goddess, should be adorned too”. The mother’s gesture melts our hearts and this message through the advertisement will remain for quite some time.
Thums Up starring Soumitra Chattopadhyay
The Thums Up advertisement really has the fizz! It starts with the plight of an elderly person (Soumitra Chattopadhyay) unable to keep up with the tradition of hosting Durga Puja at home and the message at once spreads in the para. The old man’s loneliness and despair is heart-rending. The advertisement also shows what happens when members of a joint family move out and family traditions fade with time. But here, the young boys and girls of the locality come together to recreate the good old days. They toil hard and bring back the Durga Puja cheer to the empty house and their efforts make “dadu” smile again. The product placement in this advertisement is also innovative. Empty Thums Up bottles are used as props to decorate the Durga mandap. With the fizz in the advertisement, one can easily say “Ebar jombe moja.”
Titan
This Titan advertisement portrays the joy of returning home for Durga Puja. The advertisement shows how Durga Puja unites generations when a little girl, accompanied by her parents, comes to meet her grandparents. The joy in the faces of her grandparents and the reunion showcased touches hearts at once. The advertisement symbolically ends with the sharing of gifts (a pair of Titan watches) signifying the fact that it’s “time to come together” and spread happiness during Durga Puja. The iconic Titan theme music in the background makes the advertisement worth watching.
Asian Paints
Truly celebrating the power of colours in our lives, this advertisement by Asian Paints shows a crestfallen little girl during Durga Puja in pandemic times and how her family works overtime to create a Durga Puja ambience to make her smile. The family reconstructs every little detail that actually makes Durga Puja such a joyous festival for us. The makers have very intelligently depicted the power of colours in our otherwise mundane lives to usher in happiness. The “aww” moment is really worth it.
Marie
From Kumartuli to pujo marketing and the countdown for Durga Puja. This advertisement covers every essence of the grand festival we all wait eagerly for throughout the year. Everyone can immediately relate to the “Amrao din gunchi” tagline.
Ashirvaad
This advertisement perfectly pays tribute to all mothers and compares them with goddess Durga’s multifaceted characteristics and depicts how our mothers are multitasking.
When the child introduces his/her mother and proudly says, “This is my mother,” the child actually lays stress on the motivating factor in his life that is his/her mother who walks the tightrope of life with ease also balances her work life and family life every day and looks after herself as well.