The Indian ministry of urban development has launched three films as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign, to promote the use of toilets. The films have been conceptualised by McCann Worldgroup.
One of the films features a protagonist, Shukla, who beams with pride and becomes the talk of the neighbourhood because he is about to buy a TV. When the set arrives, the delivery man asks for directions. A young boy passing by points to the house, but urges the man to install it at the ground, because that’s where the TV’s owner sits with his lota (goes to defecate with a mug of water). As he says this, the TV-owner arrives, mug in hand, and is terribly embarrassed. While the neighbourhood laughs at him, he slips out of view and stands under a window. A man points to a public toilet and says he wouldn’t have to hide, had he used the same. A voice over adds that if one does not have a toilet at home, one should use the public toilet. As the neighbourhood watches a cricket match at his house, the film ends with the message, ‘Souchalay ki aadat pakki, wohi asli tarakki’ (The use of toilets, is real progress).
Another film features a young man going over to a neighbour’s to hand over sweets, to celebrate his bagging a bank job. He receives compliments from everyone in the house, all the time exchanging fond glances with a young girl reading a book. As he is about to hand het the sweets, a kid says his job should have been in the railways and not a bank, because he uses the tracks as the toilet. The film shows the embarrassed youth applying for a loan, and building a toilet at home.
Three young boys are running around playing, before stopping to climb atop a bike parked outside a house, in one of the films. As they mock-ride the bike with glee, everyone around watches and compliments Sharma on his new purchase. Just then, Sharma steps out with a mug of water, indicating that he is about to head to the open to relieve himself. An ashamed Sharma looks on as one man pretends to stop people from laughing before mocking him, saying he has a toilet at home, but not the habit of using it. The voice over says that a bike alone isn’t a sign of progress.
Credits
Client: Ministry of Urban Development, GOI
Campaign: Swachch Bharat – Asli Tarakki (TV, Bike, Naukri)
Agency: McCann Worldgroup
Creative Team: Prasoon Joshi, Prateek Bhardwaj, Kapil Batra, Rohit Devgun, Utsav Khare, Anshul Sharma, Ajit Singh Chandel, Jeet Kalra
Account planning: Jitender Dabas
Account management: Alok Lall, Sabina Singh, Nadeem Mohammad
Production house: Jamic Films
Director (film): Nikhil Rao
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