Scarecrow M&C Saatchi and Wagh Bakri Tea India introduce a granny as a remedy for ‘hi’ fever

Technology has made the world a smaller place. But one of its side effects is that it is also making conversations smaller and relationships colder. Completing conversations in 240 characters has put us in the habit of keeping real conversations short. We start and end most of them with a simple ‘Hi’. We know more about the world and less about our neighbours, we spend more time with our followers than our fellow workers.

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In our consumer research in 2013, Wagh Bakri Tea Group, the mother brand of India’s third largest tea brand, and Scarecrow M&C Saatchi discovered that our relationships were getting colder. This was the genesis of the 2013 film – Rishton ki Garmahat. This film was a huge hit and went viral with millions of organic views on multiple social media platforms, and is shared widely even today.

Our second round of consumer research in 2017 pointed out a similar stark fact. The trend of short conversations had not just invaded the youth of urban India, but rural India too. This gave Scarecrow M&C Saatchi an interesting brand film idea, one that positions tea as an enabler and a solution to this proverbial ‘Hi’ fever.

Shri Paragbhai Desai, Executive Director, Wagh Bakri Tea Group said, “Our latest film is an intriguing story, that’s high on emotions and stands true to the brand proposition of ‘Hamesha Rishte Banaye’. It also reminds us that tea is the best catalyst for relation, not just in India but the world over. That’s why Chai latte is a newly accepted beverage being served in every café on every corner of the world.”

The film “Rishton Ka Hi Fever” showcases a typical North Indian joint family with a cast that showcases both – the modern youthful India, and the older generations steeped in tradition. It’s the story of Sunny – a young Punjabi boy, who’s returning after years of staying abroad. His time outside has alienated him to the warmth of Indian culture. We see this first when he avoids the hug from his father and truncates the conversation with a simple ‘hi’. His coldness is showcased throughout his journey back to his childhood house as he meets various people from his childhood (a shopkeeper, an old uncle and a long-lost friend). Sunny strikes down each of them with a blunt and simple ‘Hi’. The task of making him understand that he’s lost his way falls upon the old grandmother who devises a recipe to remind him of the lost warmth. As she makes Wagh Bakri tea for the family, she also teaches him a lesson with a heart-touching one-liner, “Hamare yahan rishte ‘hi’ se nahi chai se bante hain. (Everlasting relations are created over a cup of tea, not hi)”. The film ends with a hashtag to remind the masses #HiNahiChaiPilao.

The film is produced by Rising Sun Films who have delivered top-of-the-line cinema like, Pink, Piku, Madras Café, October, Vicky Donor and others. It’s directed by Anup Chitnis who himself as an advertising veteran has created and often directed memorable campaigns like, Tata Sky Amir Khan campaigns, Parle-G ‘Aao banaye kal ke genius’ and Ceat Tyres ‘Streets are filled with idiots’ and Channel V ‘Gheun tak’.

To accentuate the message of the film Team Scarecrow has penned a song with a Sufi-base that summarises, “Rishton se na muh mod bande, rishte hain anmol. Nape-tule iss bol se bande rishton ko na tol. Do not shy away from relations, Relations are precious, Don’t compare relations with trivial talks (?).” The melody of this specially composed song for the film is done by Rohan-Vinayak, the genius musical duo behind ‘Nil Battey Sannata’, ‘102 Not Out’ and ‘Pink’. Krishna Beura, who is a famously known singer in the Bollywood circuit and the iconic voice behind the famous track “Maula mere le le meri jaan” from ‘Chak de! India’ has lended his voice to the song.

Yogesh Shinde- Vice President Wagh Bakri Tea Group said, “In a world where we spend even lesser and lesser time with our loved ones and where conversations are coming down to just a ‘hi’, spending time over a cup of chai could be those few minutes of bonding that we need so dearly.”

To sum it up Manish Bhatt, Founder Director – Scarecrow M&C Saatchi said, “We are in the kalyug of technology. We have cultivated a habit of clapping along with those Facebook followers of God on FB live broadcast of Ganesh Aarti, and learnt to touch our God’s feet on the laptop. We have started attending baby shower ceremonies over a FaceTime video call and we bless our pregnant daughter-in-law via mobile screen. Instead of chatting with friends over hot & spicy chaat at the corner of our colony, we just do Snapchats. That’s why our granny in the film is ready to serve us an Indian home remedy that’s more than a century old – a cup of hot Wagh Bakri tea to cure our ‘cold’ & ‘crisp’ relationships.”

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