Seldom do we celebrate ad films, or commercials. But I'd love to give a shoutout to a really special one, since it celebrates movies, rather the movie watching experience in theaters.
"Iss andhere mein bahut roshni hai (there's light in this darkness)" - the poem by Vineet Panchhi, featured in the PVR ad is something that connects with me - with all of us cinema lovers, I'm sure - on a subliminal level. It has been filmed to celebrate the completion of 25 years of the PVR Cinema chain in India, and stars Aamir Khan, our favorite.
The emotions that the audience in a darkened auditorium traverses, as the magic of movies unfolds on the big screen, the bonding with cinema, escaping to a fantasy world, when the lights go down.... all these have been brilliantly conveyed in this short film, in the voiceover by Aamir Khan.
After having watched it across social media, I had to watch it on the big screen (at PVR, where else) as I was told by my good friend Sayantan that it was showing before the screening of 'Laal Singh Chaddha', starring Aamir Khan (which I rushed to watch for the second time, essentially for that promotional), and it brought such joy! Kudos to the makers!
I need to mention here that I was also reminded of the unforgettable Tom Cruise speech at the 2002 Oscars which celebrated the movie watching experience. People's habits have changed, cinema has evolved, watching movies is no longer the same (nor is it expected to remain the same over the years), but the thrill and the joy at the movies can always be cherished, the PVR ad does bring back the memories of all the good times.
