One of the newest popular brand-created content is Kissanpur - Real Joy of Togetherness. The content can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s2kWc0ILCM and has already clocked 1.7 million hits (as of 12th Oct 2014, 8:48pm). Clearly it’s popularity is high and it yet again reminds us how people crave good stories, that are both meaningful as well as speak directly to our hearts. Indeed, the head vs. heart debate is something that good content makes redundant, because it is always both, isn’t it.
The story is set in a classic modern day urban family (2 parents & one child) living in a condo in potentially a suburb of one of the cities in India (Gurgaon?). Both parents are working, with mom possibly working from home (mostly anyway). The story starts with the mom snatching all ‘screen devices’ from the boy (Rohan), annoyed that he is always stuck to a screen (sound familiar?). In a fit of anger, as the child storms out of the house, he discovers the idea of planting seeds seeing the friendly neighbourhood maali. With tomato seeds available in a certain ketchup bottle at home, he decides to grow a tomato plant. Mom, realizing she needs to make up with him, joins in, as a competition of who’s plant grows the fastest and the best. After days of sand, water and sunshine, mom seems to be winning, till Rohan’s plant catches up. Finally, in the climax, despite Rohan’s best efforts, it feels that mom is going to win after all, since she gets the bright red, juicy tomato on her plant and Rohan doesn’t. But, as usual mom saves the day and the family emerges the winner - together, happy, connected.
The impact and the popularity of the film is not in its storyline (as we can see from the narration above), but in the emotions it generates in the viewer. As a viewer, we don’t feel like the outsider in this film. We ARE the mom in this film, going through every emotion that she feels.
We feel shocked and angry when Rohan slams the mom’s laptop shut, but only for a moment. We immediately feel guilty and a hippocrate at having snatched his screen devices earlier from him.
We feel intrigued when Rohan is putting his plant building blocks together - seeds, pot, name, sand and water. We feel proud and indulgent when he is making his plant, but know that we can’t show it yet, since he still has to make his point of being one up on us.
We are rooting for him through the week as he waters and patiently nurtures his plant, waiting for his sign of victory and disappointed for him when he doesn’t get his sapling before the mom’s. And we are elated more than Rohan when the sapling does show its face. But, we don’t show any of this emotion in front of Rohan, because we want him to enjoy his victory when it happens.
We feel hurt when he rubs off the kiss on his cheek that mom gives, while getting him ready for school.
And finally, we know what we have to do when Rohan’s plant doesn’t fruit the bright juicy tomato and mom’s plant does. We know we have to lose for him to win and feel happy. And because only that will make us happy. And we feel all is well when Rohan finally comes and embraces his mom.
And through it all, we know that it was all about him. It was always about him. Like every parent knows, it’s always about them.
We feel Rohan’s emotions and the mom’s emotions at the same time, because that’s what comes with being a paren. A complex, bitter-sweet jugalbandi of our emotions and our children’s.
The connection with this film comes not because of the obvious insights that speak to the mind - like the urban working parents with less time with kids, or children being stuck to multiple screens through the day, the struggle that parents have in keeping them away, or even in the championing of children going back to nature.
The impact comes from the subtle nuances within the insights - like you need a little bit of competitive spirit between mom and child to get the kid really going, since that is the natural spirit of the child, or that children can be really stubborn about forgiving if they feel hurt by a parent, or that children need something to obsess about and pour their unbridled energy into, or that at that age a child is finding his identity and looking for a sense of respect from the people around him & most of all from his parents. And that’s really what the journey of competition and winning vs his mom is all about.
This film also reminds us of the power of just good music and good acting and comes as a breath of fresh air in a world that is full of talk, clever words, and shallow meaning. It’s a film with no words exchanged between the characters and yet makes the biggest impact.
If there is anything we hold against this film, it is the dad stereotype. For an otherwise progressive film, the cliche of the dad who is always busy on the phone & is otherwise helpless, clueless when it comes to his son, comes as a bit of a rude disruption (obviously I am biased as a dad myself). The dad is conspicuous by his absence and simply gets a sad mention on one flower pot for him as well, which clearly no one is watering, or even figures in the competition. Sure, there is the cursory moment of the football and running in park with dad, but all the real stuff is happening with mom. Even in the final moment when we are waiting for the tomato to shine on the plant, we are only shown the mom and son’s plant. Whatever happened to the dad’s plant? Did he even get a sapling to grow or did the weeds devour the plant even before it had a chance to see the sunlight. Seems like no one cares. And probably neither does the dad!
The content, as the www.kissan.in website tells us, is with the mission to bringing kids and nature together, around growing tomatoes and learning all about tomato farming & provides various other games and contests centered around kids, nature and tomatoes.
But, what really the kissanpur film is, is about families, in urban India. At a simple level, it’s just about spending time together. But, then it’s about spending time doing something meaningful. It’s about creating something new and beautiful together, from just seeds in a ketchup bottle to a red bright tomato plant. Of seeing magic of of creating life with our very own hands.
As a result this is a piece of content that is not an ad. It is not trying to sell us more ketchup, but is delivering a story and a thought that evokes pleasant emotions, but also leading to a point of view. A point of view on modern day parenting. With this film, Kissan has (wittingly or unwittingly) taken on the mantle of building a progressive parent-child relationship. A 1:1 relationship with our children, where we treat him/her with respect, just like we would any another person. It’s about connecting with children on equal terms, respecting their individuality. It’s about thinking of them as people and not (as someone reminded me once) ‘kids’. This is the real win in this film. It’s not just about getting families together, it’s about progressive parent child relationships.
And if that doesn’t make you go buy some kissan ketchup, then little else will..
