Boogying your way into the Indian Psyche

I happened to chance upon an episode of Boogie Woogie the other day after a gap of about 7 years. (For the uninitiated, Boogie Woogie was the first dance show format to hit Indian Television 9 yrs ago on Sony) I loved the show – full of energy, laughter and of course lot of dancing!
However, this time around I couldn’t help watching it through planning- coloured glasses. :) This one was a mom special episode. It invited mothers to choreograph a dance piece using her family members. The episode was so entertaining, I was surprised! (otherwise i would just flip channels within 60 secs)
It was interesting to see sporting families join together showcasing their hidden talents!

Listening to their comments made me think that this was a simple and effective method to understand the Indian ‘masses’ that we advertisers try so hard to get a grip of!
Its worth dozen’s of focus groups across the country! Definitely more reliable.

Take for instance the following performance:

Stage opens on a Mother sitting on her living room couch. She receives a phone call from her husband saying he would get delayed at work. She hangs up, springs out of her couch and turns to her kids (13yr old daughter and 8 year old son) announcing “aaj papa late aaenge!!!! LETS party!!!!” She also calls up her neighbors’ and invites them over to join the dhamaal! Next thing you see there is a whole bunch of dancers on the stage going crazy dancing to some new Bollywood numbers when suddenly the “big bad daddy” walks in. All the other dancers vamoose. The music is switched off. The mother-children trio looks down guiltily knowing that they have had it! To everyone’s surprise the dad reveals a fun-side to him and starts dancing himself! This leads to the whole family dancing happily together.

At the end of the performance, the mother claims that this is exactly what happens at home.

“I may not call in my neighbours since my world is enclosed among my two kids really. And as long as they are with me, I can have a ball!”

The hosts playfully ask “ever thought about what your husband is up to when you are not around??”
To which she replies, “oh! he makes the most of it too….he messes up the whole house. celebrates ‘independence day’. He cleans up just a few hours before my return.”

Imagine an instant food brand showcasing a husband celebrating “independence day” during his wife’s trip to her parents.

Think about all the other concepts that can be derived from the above!

Then there was a team that had a 55 yr old woman dance with her daughters and son-in-law whose own mother sat amidst the audience. The host asked post the performance “this is new! We usually find mothers-in-law and sons-in-law constantly avoiding each other but you were happily dancing together on the same stage!!!" The woman replied, “But this is reality! What they showcase on all these soap operas currently being aired is all drama. Families in India, in truth are mostly very loving and close-knit. I wish we were shown more real serials...”

I guess that gives us the verdict about how “popular” the current clan of K-serials really is! :)

So, next time we surf channels, lets remember to view the programs through planner-coloured glasses. We never know how enriching it may turn out to be!