When Ranveer Singh appeared in a recent advertisement promoting Bold Care, a male sexual wellness brand, many initially thought it was a spoof on daily soaps or a comical pre-Valentine’s Day video. However, Ranveer announced that he was not only the brand’s face but also a co-founder, aiming to help millions of men rise to the occasion, pun intended.
The deliberately shocking advertisement achieved its goal of getting instant recognition for Ranveer’s brand. However, what truly grabbed everyone’s attention was the juxtaposition of an A-list movie star in a video that resembled a daily soap. While the brand promises to awaken lost passions in Indian bedrooms, the ad itself should serve as a wakeup call for the television industry, which has often faced criticism for its cringeworthy content.
As I watched the commercial, I couldn’t help but think about scenes from Hindi TV shows where screenwriters created inadvertently comical sequences in complete seriousness. Characters in daily soaps often engage in bizarre actions, defying science, logic, and even the limits of fantasy in a bid to attract viewership.
For example, in the now off-air show “Thapki Pyaar Ki,” the protagonist’s husband accidentally smears sindoor on her hairline after taking a shower, creating a comical scene. In another show, “Ishq Ki Dastaan – Naagmani,” the protagonist rides a scooter into outer space to rescue her husband and child.
While daily soaps may last long like Ranveer’s brand promises men will, they offer little satisfaction. Perhaps, watching millions of people instantly identifying the advertisement as a spoof of bad content will finally prompt television channels and producers to course-correct and establish higher standards of creativity for the small screen. After all, Kyunki Kishu deserves better, doesn’t she?
