Vintage Ads

Gold Spot

2009-03-03T03:37:00.000-08:00

Gold Spot ads from 80's

Gold Spot ad from 1970s

The guy on right, the one rooting for Orange Pride, looks like Peter Sellers of Dr.Strangelove

Gold Spot was a popular orange-flavored soft drink in India until 1993. The brand was owned by Parle, but was sold to Coca-Cola when it re-entered the Indian market in 1993. Gold Spot had a catchy punch line - The Zing Thing. Gold Spot was withdrawn from the market in order to make space for Coca-Cola's Fanta brand. However the brand has a good following in the rural areas especially in Maharshatra, to keep the brand alive, Gold Spot is sold as a soda in these markets.

The TV ads of the 80's wee a hit with the likes of kitu gidwani featuring in them. The target audience were the youth who seemed to hitch on to 'the zing thing' bandwagon. Old-timers still swear by its taste and according to them 'fanta' , to make way for which 'Gold Spot' was eased out tastes like horse p*** in comparison. I sometimes wonder, where in the world did he taste horse p***.

I have been able to get hold of two ads one of which featuring Kitu Gidwani. The ads go like this:

Ad 1

He is crazy about roller skates,

She goes crazy over double takes,

He is crazy about dizzy spin, and I go crazy just watching him

You bet, he’s crazy about me.

As crazy as crazy as we are about …

Gold spot, the zing thing, Gold spot, the zing thing,

Gold spot

Ad 2

He is crazy about speeding,

I go crazy over his driving,

He is crazy about mobike race, and I go crazy just keeping pace

You bet, he’s crazy about me.

As crazy as crazy as we’re about …

Gold spot, the zing thing, Gold spot, the zing thing ,

Gold spot

Enfield Bullet

2009-03-03T02:38:00.000-08:00

The name Bullet dates from 1932, but it became famous in the late 1940's with the introduction of the alloy head, spring arm frame 350 cc Bullet. The modern Bullet Classic is unique in that it is still made in a traditional way, based as it is on the Bullet of 1954, but benefitting from modern techniques. The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Standard has proven itself over 45 years in the toughest of conditions. Finished in Black colour this motorcycle retains the classic bike appeal with tank emblems and deep valance mudguards.

Despite more than 100 improvements which have been made to the basic design in the past ten years, with the exception of the indicators, the Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 350 looks much the same as it did 50 years ago.

The old ad, that used to come before before every chitrahar, and Sunday movie is still embedded in our psyche. Here it goes

Yeh Bullet meri jaan
Manzilon ka nishaan
Zindagi ek safar
Chalna shaam-o-sahar
Iski raftar ki
Baat hain aur hi
Lambi raahon pe
Ye kya gazab ki chale
Raaste taye kare
Faasle taye kare
Ye Bullet...
Enfield Bullet
Ghazab ki sawari.

Complan

2009-01-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

Ye hai badhta bachcha,

dekho kaise kood lagaye,

ye hai badhta bachcha,

kapda chota hota jaaye...

(little Shahid Kapoor): I'm a complan boy,

(little Ayesha Takia): I'm a complan girl

khoob badhaye complan...

Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream

2008-07-21T02:55:00.000-07:00

Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream

a very early, famous version featuring a very young and cute Sangeeta Bijlani.

Scene 1

A wedding, the bride's house, the females who are dressing up and decorating the bride (Sangeeta Bijlani) are supposed to be singing, while the parents - Sudhir Dalvi, as the dad, and the mom looking at each other sad yet happy... the chorus sings:

Bade naazon se paali hamaari banno,

tujhe dulhan banaaye ree pyaari banno

(shehnai music)

(lead female voice) tujhko haldi ka ubhtan lagaayein sakhiyaan

(at this point there is cackling laughter from all the girls, as they apply turmeric paste to her legs and her cheeks)

teri kaaya ko kanchan banaayein sakhiyaan

(chorus) roop kundan sa chamke hamaari banno, tujhe dulhan banaaye ree pyaari banno...

(at this point, she is going around the holy fire seven times with her hubby, and the wedding is done.

Scene 2

The music changes, and they show the couple on their honeymoon, in what is probably Observation Post, but is supposed to be Kashmir, then her hubby jumps into a swimming pool, comes out, and drips all the water in his hair onto Sangeeta,

( at that point even at the age of six years, I used to tell sangeeta bijlani, "what are you doing with that useless idiot, How Could You Want Him When You Know You Could Have Me?")

(voiceover says something about Vicco Vajradanti Ayurvedic Cream, which you probably don't notice because they are showing a young Sangeeta on the screen, smiling)

(chorus) Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream!

(female) Tvacha ki raksha karey, antiseptic cream

Roop ko sanvarey, nikharey har dam!

Haldi aur chandan ka anokha sangam!

(chorus) Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream,

Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream!

Pan Parag

2008-07-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

Pan Parag

Ad No. 1

Shammi Kapoor and Ashok Kumar and their wives (one of them was Asha Lata, maybe? They were the typical maa-wife roleplayer women of the early- and mid-80s... If someone knows their names, please send them to me. Thanks!)

Scene: Shehnai playing in the background, it is the house where the wedding is supposed to take place, which is the bride's house, and it happens to be Ashok Kumar's house.

Ashok Kumar's wife: Suniye, ladke ke maa-baap aaye hain

Ashok Kumar: Arrey, aaiye, aaiye (ha ha ha ha ha, mandatory laughter from all four members)

Shammi Kapoor: Baarat... thik 8 baje pahunch jaayegi. Par hum aapse ek baat to kehne bhool hi gaye!

(Shehnai stops, and sudden jarring music is played on keyboard while Ashok Kumar and his wife share a worried look... thinking... DOWRY!)

Shammi Kapoor: Ghabraiye nahin, hume kuch nahin chahiye! Hum to sirf itna chahte hain ki aap baraatiyon ka swagat... Pan Parag se kijiye!

Ashok Kumar (relieved): Oh-ho, Pan Parag! Humein kya maloom tha aap bhi Pan Parag ke shaukeen hain... (he pulls out a tin can from under his shawl) Yeh lijiye Pan Parag

(closeup of Shammi Kapoor 's face which brightens up): PAN PARAG!

(singer, probably Priti Sagar): Pan Parag, pan masala Pan Parag Khatir-daari mein zaroori, iske bina mehfil adhooriPan parag, pan masala, Pan Parag!

Ad No. 2

Jalal Agha enters a party, and guests notice him and start talking to him.

Guest 1 (played by middle aged Delhiite-looking lady): Arrey lo, aagaye? Aaj kal to bade chaaye hue ho TV par, Pan Parag aur kya kya!

Jalal Agha (smiles humbly): Shukriya

Guest 2 (played by Vipin Handa, who went on to have a short-lived talk show called Aamne-Saamne): TV mein to hamesha tayaar rehte ho, aaj kahan hai tumhara dibba?

Jalal Agha (smartly pulls out a pillow pouch!): To YEH kya hai?!

Guest 3 (fat man): Ek se... mera kya hoga!!! (Laughs)

Jalal Agha: To aap DO lijiye!

Guest 4's voice: Aur mere liye?

Jalal Agha turns towards the voice, sees its a really tall dude, and pulls out the whole strip and smiles at camera, while Priti Sagar - sings "jingle Pan Parag, pan masala Pan Parag"

Prestige Pressure Pan

2008-07-09T04:45:00.001-07:00

The advent of this ad led to many a mini crisis in the Indian families where the housewives would needle their husbands that absence of this product in their kitchens meant that they were not loved by their them.

Prestige Pressure pan

The original ad features a wife slaving away in the kitchen while her mother-in-law relaxes in the living room and the hubby is at work (I think). The wife is reaaaaallllyyy overworked and understandably loses it, and starts throwing kitchenware into the living room, and the other people in the house watch each utensil go over their heads like a tennis game.

Voice over: Phenk do yeh kadhaai, degchi, yeh frying pan

Inse nata todo.(The last sentence is accompanied by a huge wok landing in the postman's hands who is just at the door)

(Heaven, or the exhaust fan, slowly lowers a Prestige Pressure pan into the wife's hands)

Prestige Pressure pan.

Fry kare,

deep fry kare,

chun chun sikaai kare.

Jhat ubaale,

phat pressure de [Cue to loud whistle]

Prestige Pressure Pan.

Jo biwi se karein pyaar, woh Prestige se kaise karein inkaar!

Happy Independence

2008-07-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

Advertisements taken out by various companies hailing independence on August 15, 1947

Pre-Independence- III Clothes

2008-07-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

pictures from Indian cloth mills catalogues

Pre -Independence -II

2008-07-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

”Vazeer Tobacco” Exorting Indians To Smoke More.

Poster For “It Happened In Brooklyn”

“Pears” Soap Ad 1910s

Pre- Independence- I

2008-07-08T03:09:00.000-07:00

ad for "Young India Records", 1938

ad for a medicine against plague

popular health tonic

Batliwala and Homi Opticians, bombay

Nostalgia

2008-07-08T03:05:00.000-07:00

This blog is an endeavour to make you all take a stroll back over the previous century.

You’ll be reminded of those magical moments of your childhood, youth and yesteryear. Everyone's Mom was at home when we got home from school.

Fights were settled by beating each other up, followed by spanking from our mothers. There lived a golden rule Nirma, OK soap, Binaca and Forhans toothpaste Mafatlal, Jiyajee, JCT suiting etc.

Now I think I have to stop, I could go on all day. Remembering the olden times while hair is turning white hope this brought back memories, it was really nifty but I think you would have to be born around 1970s and 1980s.For me especially as during my childhood I fantasised getting married to Karen Lunel (the original Liril girl) and later on to the Rasna girl i.e. Ankita Jhaveri. So much so that many nights were spent fantasising about setting up a home with her.

And then there were the old “Only Vimal” ads featuring the then supermodels like Deepak Parashar, Sangeeta Bijlani, Kanwaljeet or the “Bombay Dyeing” ads featuring the smouldering Lisa Ray and the debonair Karan Kapoor. Infact, I remember that during the school Tiffin breaks all of us would wonder how god can be so partial; making Karan Kapoor so handsome and turning a blind eye over us. Also our female classmates never tired of sighing over Shekhar Kapoor (Digjam), Marc Robinson (Power, Monte Carlo), (the then new) Milind Soman (Vimal), Deepak Malhotra (Vimal) and of course Karan Kapoor (Bombay Dyeing). As for us boys we grew up watching and fantasising about Kitu Gidwani, Mehr Jesia, Sherry Meher Homji, Priya Kakkar (The Santoor Girl), Rachel Rueben and any new girl who featured in a famous ad.

Be reminded of the fads, culture and happenings from many of the past decades.

It is my hope that your mind will be flooded with nostalgia and memories as you wonder back to memory lane.