DAY 1906
Mist and Rain among Clouds, Lonavala July 4, 2013 Thu 11:48 PM
The words in the commercial for Binani .. it was developed and conceived by Piyush Pande, head of O&M agency in India, and who has just won 10 awards for his Company at Cannes … and myself … shot by Shoojit Sarkar, who did ‘Vicky Donor’ the film, and who has made ‘Johnny Mastana’ unreleased with me .. the DOP was Negi, who also shot our Gujarat Campaign for tourism … the location is a set, though the photographs and some props have been given by me. The film has not been shot in my house as many comment !!
I wish to give an English translation to the Hindi :
Parents, your Mother and your Father after passing, do not go away anywhere,
It just seems that they have left us, but they never do ..
Sometimes they smile through your lips,
Or at times you see their reflection in the way you walk ..
At times you see them in that familiar structured nose of your son,
If not, then at times they hide in the eyes of the daughter of your son ..
Sometimes they surprise you, in expressing an issue in the words of your voice
That they had spoken …
They are in the lullabies, that you did not remember, that you remembered !
They are in your hesitant stutters, that you experience when you lie ..
Have you ever wondered why you shake your leg when seated,
Gullu, Babloo, Pinky .. whatever your pet name is, they are seen in them ..
In a date in your day, in a fire that burns within, look carefully ..
It is a long chain of events beaded together, very old, of which you are a strengthening bead,
They were there before you, they shall be there after you as well,
Because your parents never leave you, they remain here with you ..
For generations to come …
Binani Cement - For generations to come
The tag line of the product is ‘For generations to come’ … and the film talks about how our parents never leave us, they remain with us, in the way we express ourselves, smile, talk, remember habits … they remain here with us for 'generations to come’ …
And the tag line for the product falls in beautifully .. it is a product that remains with us for generations. We build a house a home, that remains with us through years. Because it was built with a cement that shall last through generations …
Thank you all for the beautiful comments that you send on its structure and its execution. It has created quite a stir in the advertising world .. unique and heart warming, yet going along with the brand of the company and the product ..
The campaign has prompted many to reflect back on their own parents .. those with whom they now wish to connect .. to put aside all the negative issues that may have occurred .. to call them to listen to their voice, to just be near them, touch and feel them, and if they be not there, to realize what they meant to them when they were alive …
It has drawn tears from many, goosebumps, a lump in the throat … because genetics have a strange way of doing that to you. They are our most precious and prized possessions … they always were, they always shall be …
For me … the presence of the pictures of the various time dates that went through bring back all that we shared and experienced. We behave and learn from them, they teach us, bring us up, hold that little finger and guide us through our trials and tribulations …
And then suddenly we grow up, and have opinion and views. Some that garner agreement, some that do not. But in the home that we grew up the respect remained despite differences if ever there was one. And now as you look back you find how correct and right they were, and how indisposed we ..
You wish now to have them back … just for those little moments .. but they never do come .. they remain with us through time immemorial, and all that you function with now, has those images of the learnings that came from them. That is how we shall remember them, that is how we shall be confident and assured of their presence within us. As the campaign said - in those everyday moments, somewhere, someday in some way, they shall reflect … that shall be their most beautiful legacy … and that is the legacy that we shall strive to leave behind, for our own …
You may never ever make effort for this … but whatever you do say or conduct, remains in the eyes of the progeny. Be of understanding then of what you are, and be … for there is that someone watching you with great hope and admiration, to emulate you in some manner …
I shall be blessed, if that were to happen to me, from my progeny .. because I am indebted to them, that had me as their progeny … !!!
My love as ever …
Amitabh Bachchan