It all began with the a TV ad by host broadcasters Star
Sports that was meant to kick-off India’s campaign at the 2015 ICC Cricket World
Cup against arch-rivals Pakistan, who have never defeated India in the tournament’s
history. But what started as one-off add, became a full-blown campaign with
Star Sports releasing a different ad before every India match, complete with the
signature qawaalli tune of ‘mauka mauka.’
Most of these ads garnered thousands of hits and popularity all over the internet,
especially in the social media discourse. But not all the Mauka ads have been
as funny as the first. So here’s presenting a definitive ranking of all the
Mauka ads released by Star Sports so far. (23rd March)
1.
India vs Pakistan
They say the first is always the best for a
reason. This ad shows a grumpy Pakistan fan get old waiting over the two decades
for Pakistan to beat India in a World Cup match so he can burst his aging box
of crackers. A novel way to depict a running joke in India-Pakistan rivalry,
this TVC caught the fancy of entire India.
2.
India vs South Africa
The second ad followed the same theme as
the first, but in reverse. India had never beaten South Africa in a World Cup
match and a couple of South African fans point out the same, giving Indian fans
a box of crackers in jest. A continuation as good as the first, the turning of
tables was a great way to get the attention of fans.
3.
India vs Ireland
This ad created quite a stir thanks to a
teaser released showing the Pakistan fan in an India jersey along with a box of
firecrackers. This and the fact that it was shot inside Star Sports studio featuring
commentators Harsha Bhogle and Aakash Chopra made it a welcome surprise. The catch
here was that if Pakistan were to qualify, they needed India to beat Ireland,
hence the grumpy fan was supporting his rivals. The surprise elements in this Mauka
ad, made the series impactful again, after few lukewarm ones.
4.
India vs Bangladesh
With the caption India vs the World, this
TVC was a complete departure from tradition. It showed a Bollywood-esque song
and dance sequence in a qawaalli face-off between the original grumpy Pakistan
fan, who is joined by fans of other participating teams, and a group of Indian
fans. This ad worked because the usual Indian vs other fans and the Pakistan
fan’s jersey change was getting monotonous.
5.
Pakistan vs Ireland
This ad was different again, in the sense
that it focused on a Pakistan match, instead of India. It showed commentators
in the Star Sports studio discussing Pakistan’s chances of reaching the quarterfinals
only if they defeated Ireland and Pakistan’s mascot fan listening in on this
conversation. It worked because of its change in approach, talking about
Pakistan’s match more than the fan’s jersey changes.
6.
India vs UAE
The Pakistan fan, annoyed at the South African
fan after their team’s loss to India, throws their jersey away, only to be visited
by a UAE fan who gifts him the UAE team jersey. This third ad of the series was
unimaginative compared to the first two, with the return of the titular
character as the only saving grace.
7.
Pakistan qualifying
This was a short TVC and only showed the Pakistan
fan changing back into his Pakistan jersey, after briefly donning the Indian
one, as mentioned above. This focused on the Pakistan’s chances (mauka) again.
8.
India vs West Indies
This ad was easily the worst of the lot.
The Pakistan fan, after chaging colours from South Africa to UAE, all in the
hopes of an Indian defeat, is visited by a courier person who delivers the West
Indies jersey to him, as it’s the next team India was to play. He also delivers
a packet of colous as the match was to be held on Holi. The courier man,
advertised the online shopping brand YepMe.com and this showed Star Sports’ clear
intention to milk the Mauka ads for all they were worth.
This is the ranking of all the Mauka ads so
far. This list will be updated if and when more Mauka ads are released.
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