Advertisements within movie

Hindi films have advertisements and not subtle product placements like Hollywood movies. I was thinking of giving an exaggerative example this. The movie which came to my mind was Virudh, Directed by Mahesh Manjarekar and acted by Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila, John Abraham and Sanjay Dutt.

I knew the film mastered in awful placement of products. But was not able to recollect anything, but writing scenes was necessary for highlighting my point. I took little help of the Yeh picture kyun bani... and I am very Virudh product placements for writing on the advertisements in movie.

• Elf lubricants: Ever seen all the mechanics at a service station togged out in spotless navy blue Elf lubricant overalls? Standing under an Elf signboard?? There's a small lecture thrown in too - on the importance of using the 'correct' engine oil.
• Nerolac paint: Mera beta do saal ke baad London se aa raha hai! So, Papa and his four friends - all age 60 and above - paint the house. They can afford Nerolac emulsion but not a painter. Nerolac's commercial plays in the background as Amitabh Bachchan paints the house to welcome his son back from the US.
• Western Union money transfer: Amitabh asks Sharmila - 'Aap ke paas paanch hazaar rupaye hain? Lawyer ki fees deni hai". Then he reminisces... how his son used to send him money from London (most students I know of ask their dads to send them money nut never mind!)

Son on the phone from London: Dad ek short code hota hai ...
Dad: Mujhe paise mil gaye
Son: Itni jaldi?
Dad: Yes, thanks to Western Union
Or well, something like that....

• Calcium Sandoz: Amitabh offers Sharmila Calcium Sandoz during the movie to keep her bones healthy. The bottle is distinct in all the scenes. Later in the movie Amitabh shoots son's murderer and is arrested and giving deeply moving speech - there is again a praise of Calcium Sandoz, Calcium Sandoz???!!! I mean this is a part of the dialogue. Products hit in this movie when you’re down and in a teary-eyed moment.

Good script, great actors, finest director
+
Excessive advertisements (not a product placement)
=
Bad movie experience

Such shabbily-handled product placements are not useful for products. Rather, there is possibility that such placements will backfire and products can be hit to negative feelings of disappointment with movie. Consumers watch to movies to watch movies and not commercials. Hence product placement should be intelligent enough to be a commercial.

Found this funny post on same subject - Bollywood making idiots out of automobiles
Worth reading :)

See next post for: Movie that perfected product placement.