“To make an ad film where a full story should be conveyed in 30 seconds is much more creative and challenging than cinema. So, if the Government gives awards for all categories of talents in the entertainment industry, including feature films, short films and documentaries, then ad films are no less important than full-length cinema. They should include a category for Best Ad Film as well,” says ace ad filmmaker Yamuna Kishore, who was in Chennai recently to shoot an ad with actress Suhasini. He has made a request to the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI), which covers more than 23 crafts of south Indian cinema, to include ad filmmakers too under its wing.
Kishore, who relocated to Hyderabad from Chennai, has worked with the likes of Kajal Agarwal, Hansika, Priya Mani, Deeksha Seth, Sai Kumar, Jagapathi Babu, SP Balasubramanium, cinematographer Randi, choreographer Saroj Khan and others. He has 250 ad films to his credit in various languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Punjabi, among others.
Having had his tutelage under noted ad filmmaker Rajiv Menon, Kishore says Chennai is a happening place to shoot ads. “Yes, everything we look forward to for shooting an ad is available in Chennai. There’s so much scope and the city has evolved in terms of availability of technical personnel, the hardware, fashion, styling, location. The craftsmanship is much better here. The notion that Mumbai is ‘the place’ to make state-of-the-art ads is redundant today,” he asserts.
Why does he rope in only celebrities for his ads? Ads with film personalities have greater recall value, he points out. “It also helps to create the right kind of buzz for a commercial.” In what way were actors responsible while endorsing a brand that made false assertions, such as the real estate group that reportedly deceived people and for which Genelia was dragged into a controversy as she was the brand ambassador?
“Celebrities should not jump into endorsing a product without verifying its credibility. I do check when anyone approaches me to make an ad, irrespective of whether I use celebs or models,” he says.
