DELHI, INDIA — Historically, the duty of kitchen chores has always been shifted to the female of the house. This is often mirrored in advertising that portrays stereotypical gender roles. In reality, cooking and all the associated responsibilities are life skills that every individual must-have. The workload of purchasing, prepping, making, serving, and then cleaning after a meal should be equally divided among men and women. Bail Kolhu, the flagship brand of BL Agro, India’s leading FMCG company today launched a television commercial with a catchy concept #RasodeMeinMardHai, that adroitly pushes this cause starring Bollywood actors Pankaj Tripathi, Manoj Bajpayee, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
The persuasive TVC promotes the long-established mustard oil marketed under the trade name Bail Kolhu. On the objective front, the advertisement positions and reminds audiences that Bail Kolhu is the best choice for real taste with script lines like “kya chuna aapne asli swaad ke liye? Bail Kolhu.” But the messaging of the advert goes deeper, using a “show-not-tell” idea to advocate the revolutionary concept #RasodeMeinMardHai, i.e., that even men must shoulder the responsibilities in the kitchen. It’s not merely the duty of women.
To that end, Pankaj, Manoj, and Nawazuddin are seen cooking with Bail Kolhu in the TVC. With script lines such as “mazedar swaad unhi ko milta hai jinka kaam bolta hai,” the ad continuously emphasises normalising gender roles in the kitchen and shows all three actors cooking and then serving three separate dishes for a celebratory family meal.
The advertisement was conceptualised and created by Leads Brand Connect, a multi-dimensional creative agency that also created Bail Kolhu’s earlier TVCs. The #RasodeMeinMardHai TVC was unveiled during an event today by Pankaj Tripathi and launched on national television channels. It is set to be rolled out in print and digital media to cover 360-degree communication.
Commenting on the launch of Bail Kolhu’s new TVC, Mr. Ashish Khandelwal, Managing Director, BL Agro, said, “Bail Kolhu is a long-standing brand with recall value rooted in consumers. So, our vision with the TVC went beyond generating brand lift and into advocating the #RasodeMeinMardHai concept, and we couldn’t have found a better fit to champion the social cause than Pankaj Tripathi, Manoj Bajpayee, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Their persona and journeys are very apropos of the initiative, which is why the message we wanted to convey comes out very naturally and effectively.”
“With this new TVC, we had a dual goal. The first is perceptible – to position our mustard oil as the best choice to bring out flavour while cooking. The second is crafted with more subtlety. We wanted to break the preconceived notion that the kitchen is solely a woman’s arena, and she alone should be accountable for all the work that comes with it, from cooking to cleaning. So, instead of using an actress, we portray three leading Bollywood actors preparing a meal, which incidentally is the very first time you’ll see it on a TVC”, says Ms. Richa Khandelwal, Brand Spokesperson, BL Agro.
Leads Brand Connect CEO, Mr. Sanjay Srivastava, said, “Leads Brand Connect team came up with an extremely unconventional but necessary concept of “why should cooking be a woman’s job alone.” It’s a stereotype that is often represented in advertisements, and we wanted to break that chain while simultaneously supporting the idea that men should cook too. With Pankaj, Nawazuddin, and Manoj, we were able to bring that out without being on the nose about it and, of course, creating more recall for Bail Kolhu.”
Leads Brand Connect has previously created two TVCs for Bail Kolhu. The first TVC, “Safar,” drew an analogy between the stunning rise of Manoj Bajpayee, Pankaj Tripathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Bail Kolhu. The second TVC, with the punch line “Khushu Ka Yaadon Se Rishta,” also featured the trio reminiscing that the aroma of good food never fails to transport people to cherished childhood memories as it is the essential ingredient for all occasions.
Bail Kolhu is the signature product of BL Agro, launched in 1986 by Ghanshyam Khandelwal, the current Chairman, with the promise of delivering pure and quality edible mustard oil. Today, it is an extremely well-recognised trade name, almost synonymous with mustard oils.
Watch the TVC that strives towards advancing equal gender roles in the kitchen.
