Aaj Tak takes to political satire, promises to be society's eye-opener

Aaj Tak has rolled out a series of three films that build on its 'Sabse Tez' positioning, under the theme 'Aankhen Khol Di'. The films have been conceptualised by director Pradeep Sarkar's Apocalypso Filmworks.

 

All three films have been shot in black and white and reflect on popular present-day socio-political conversations.

 

One film shows a lady in a white saree looking at the globe. She's worried about the fact that her son is lost and claims that they've checked England and Bangkok and he isn't there. An assistant helps her while another says he's checked every slum in Dharavi, without luck. The lady says that she needs to answer people about her son's whereabouts. One of the men advises her to tune into Aaj Tak, as the channel gets news that no one else has and could reveal where her son is. The lady thanks the man for 'opening her eyes' and tunes into the channel. 

Another film features a family bidding farewell to a man, who is on his way out of the country. Asked for the purpose of travel, he informs the ignorant airport authority that he's going to visit the PM, who is abroad. The film ends with Aaj Tak being pitched as the destination to keep abreast of developments.

A third film reflects on the police coming down heavily on comedians, while businessmen who have taken crores of loans have flown abroad. A subordinate tells a policeman who has arrested a comedian that if Aaj Tak gets to know about it, they'll lose respect in front of people. The prisoner is released.

 

Ashish Bagga, group CEO, India Today Group, said, “In a space cluttered with a multitude of news channels, Aaj Tak stands out as the unshakable preference which has been possible because of being a people’s brand. We bring that fact right into the centre with this campaign."

 

Pradeep Sarkar, director, Apocalypso Filmworks, said, "It must have been around 15 years since we did the black and white Aaj Tak launch ads and when we got the opportunity to do another campaign for the same brand, it was challenging! Challenging because it had to be as effective as the previous one and to be frank when you have to excel your own self – it's the biggest challenge. I hope I have not let the brand down. I genuinely feel that Aaj Tak is Sabse Tez. See the films for yourself”.