I know the whole Bollywood thing is huge now that Slumdog Millionaire has won 8 Oscars including the Oscar for Best Film. I get that. What I don’t get is the following promotional video by Israel’s Rafael Defense Systems which was displayed at the Rafael booth at the recent Aero India 2009 Air show. According to StratPost.com:
The video is a Bollywood-style dance number featuring Israeli artists in full Bollywood costume singing in English about the potential for the Indo-Israeli defense trade relationship and dancing around mock-ups of Rafael’s products. It is significant that recent reports have indicated Israel to have overtaken Russia as India’s single-largest defense materiel supplier… StratPost spoke to Assy Josephy the Director of Exhibitions for Rafael about how this video came about. “In Israel we have Jewish people from India, so we know about Bollywood and the song and dance numbers. Israelis are generally aware of Indian culture. This video is to help build familiarity between India and Israel and Rafael,” he says.
This video is also simply ridiculous – probably the most ridiculous video ever posted on YouTube. Don’t believe me? I dare you to watch the entire thing if you can. Go on… try…
Dinga Dinga Dee!
themiddle
3/18/2009
I hate to admit that I like it because the conventional wisdom out there is panning this as if the Zionist project is over and they need to shut down the country.
Did any Indian customers complain about this?
themiddle
3/18/2009
Oh, and one more thing. This video has spread across the internet like wildfire. That suggests pretty good marketing. I’m sure there are loads of people who are lining up to buy Rafael rockets as I write. I’m sure I could use one in my backyard and this video convinced me.
LB
3/18/2009
tm – probably right. On a related note, anyone remember those YES (Israeli satellite TV) commercials a few years back? One that especially stood out was the one with American POWs in Vietnam singing and dancing about YES. THAT was ridiculous.
Chutzpah
3/18/2009
That Jewish guy and big nose are going to get some Indian puhtang. Hope a jewish guy will sing these words to me someday, I need to feel safe and protected.
But this video is still my favorite Bollywood style-video:youtube.com/wa...
MB
10/24/2009
This is the most retarded video I have ever seen.