Shut up!

We all have this one talkative friend in our squad, who talks a lot and does nothing; if you cannot recollect them, well, you are the one.

And it often happens that we turn to that friend and hand them a Center Fresh saying, “Here, now shut up!”

The confectionary company Perfetti Van Melle India has given us more than just a chewing gum, they have tagged a rather interesting experience to it, and named it ‘Zubaan pe rakhe lagaam’ (‘Have control on your tongue’).

Making the campaign public in early 2007, ‘Zubaan pe rakhe lagaam’ is a satirical take on the typical Indian habit of talking more and working less.

In one of the various films that were part of the campaign, the one titled ‘Bank Robbery’ is our favourite.

The advert portrays a bank robbery, where the thief turns out to be the security guard of the same bank, who acknowledges his call of duty by habit.

Concluding with the voiceover ‘Phisal gayi zubaan?’ (Slip of a tongue?), the chewing gum appears with the famous brand tale ‘Zubaan pe rakhe lagaam’.

The campaign was not only a satirical take on people’s “Big Talk” attitude but also hinting the viewers to be and act more responsible.

Each film in the campaign stood out in its quality, while some had excellent plots, the others were hilarious eye-openers for the public.

The Kailash Kher-voiced film where the midget blurts out stuff, which he should not have, in front of local mafia to the classic “Small Talk” film that shows how the pumped-up, apparent top-rung bureaucrats (including IPS and politicians) are busy discussing plots of the recent SRK movie they watched, debating on who will have samosas and kachoris. This one is sure to crack you up every time you watch it.

Remember this time when Center Fresh launched its new paan flavour chewing gum? It was during the promotion of this line of the chewing gum that the brand reaffirmed its positioning.

The television spot that introduced Center Fresh Paan fades in at a dhobi ghat, where an elderly man is washing clothes.

The man’s son arrives at the ghat, wearing a crisp, white shirt and announces his selection for a job; all this while chewing pan.

Elated, the proud dad points at a sitar player, who then starts playing a melodious tune out of happiness; but something sad happens –the son accidentally spits pan on his own shirt. Angry, the father starts washing his son like a laundry shirt.

And the sign-off goes like ‘Jab paan khaye, kripya zabaan na chaleyin’. The product was believed to open up new opportunities for consumption of paan in a quick and fun way, which didn’t quite happen.

But the adverts sure served as a good laugh stock for Indians who often encounter people stuffing paan into their mouths and talking, half of which is not clear most of the times.