Antakshari may not be quite the party staple it once was, but Amazon Music India’s new ad gives it a full-throated comeback. It shows people playing the singing game in homes, on trains and buses, at beaches and on family road trips.
Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and conceptualised by creative agency Manja, the ad liberally deploys the hasta-khelta-gaata ghar trope familiar from Bollywood family dramas, but soon takes the game well beyond the family home. It also features singers Usha Uthup and Sonu Nigam.
The ad opens on a terrace, with cups of tea and a musical competition between neighbours. Several generations join in, mock fights break out, and the singing goes on late into the night. But then, the context changes even as the game of Antakshari continues.
A song ending on one syllable in one setting is picked up by another group somewhere else in the country, turning Antakshari into a kind of musical relay. One song and setting flows into another. On the terrace, family members sing Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon; on a train, jawans and fellow passengers break into Chaiyya Chaiyya; and on a bus, the chain continues with Roja.
One of the most enjoyable moments is when the scene is a house party with Usha Uthup and Sonu Nigam. In their jugalbandi, Nigam sings Uthup’s Koi Yahan Nache Nache from Disco Dancer (1982), while she belts out his Yeh Dil Deewana from Pardes (1997).
In between these transitions, the Amazon Music app appears. One player even searches for a song on the app—effectively cheating in the beloved game—while another adds a track to their favourites.
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An old-school vibe
The advertisement is reminiscent of the Doordarshan’s golden-era commercials, when ads such as Hamara Bajaj and national campaigns like Mile Sur Mera Tumhara moved across regions, languages and communities while holding on to one larger national thread. They did not flatten those differences; rather, they celebrated distinct identities while making each feel part of the same country.
The new ad’s tagline is, “Har woh geet jo India gunagunata hai, Amazon Music woh sunta hai” (Every song India hums, Amazon Music listens to). It neatly captures the campaign’s idea of music as something that cuts across age, region and taste.
Most of the songs featured in the commercial are at least a few decades old, but it ends with Na De Dil Pardesi Nu, the folk song that inspired Dhurandhar’s title track. It slips naturally into a neighbourhood jamming session and as another addition to India’s endless game of Antakshari.
The campaign comes two months after the company rolled out Amazon Music Unlimited in India, adding a paid premium tier to its existing music streaming service.
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(Edited by Asavari Singh)