SPN shows a heart-warming story of a blind Shane Warne fan

Sony Pictures Sports Network has launched a campaign titled ‘love for cricket knows no boundaries’ which narrates a story of a cricket fan.

 

Conceptualised by Scarecrow M&C Saatchi, the film is inspired by true events of a Charles Rao, a cricket fan who lost his vision in 2001. It opens with Rao remembering the first time he had seen Shane Warne bowl in 1995. He talks about how at that moment Australia became one of his favourite teams. Rao settles down in front of the TV and puts on the Australian jersey as the hits the field for a match.

 

Neville Bastawalla, head – marketing and on-air promotions, sports business, Sony Pictures Networks, said, “During one of our ongoing research, we came across real people who go beyond and do extraordinary things for the love of the game that is cricket. We brought this proposition alive through this beautifully crafted campaign, ‘love for cricket knows no boundaries.’ We have some brilliant cricket coming up on our network, New Zealand tour of Australia, England tour of South Africa and the Big Bash League amongst many others. It seemed apt to invoke the passion of the real cricket fans who would cross any boundaries to watch great cricket beyond India on the pitch."

 

He added, "This is probably the first time that a shoot-based campaign portraying a real human story that invokes emotions has been launched for non-India cricket properties. Charles Rao, the protagonist of the film, is a real person and not just an actor who is enacting his own journey as a cricket lover.” 

 

Raghu Bhat, co-founder and copywriter, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi, said, “A fan’s connection with the game is sacred. His love for the game is pure. There are no agendas, no motives. We wanted to capture this purity and what better way to do it than by telling a real story of a real cricket fan. The brand idea ‘love for cricket knows no boundaries’ is a positive, powerful thought that will be brought alive through multiple human stories.”

 

CREDITS:

 

Client: Sony Pictures Sports Network

Agency: Scarecrow M&C Saatchi

Creative team: Neville Bastawalla, Raghu Bhat, Vaishakh Jhunjhunwala

Director: Shamik Sengupta