Cricketers are walking-talking ads for a myriad products. Every inch of their frames has a label stuck on it. They know the rules of the game. And they cannot be talked into dumbly standing in front of a hoarding, phooka t mein. Unfortunately, the naive elements end up getting seriously suckered.
Insidious advertising works in several different ways.
These days, it is impossible to attend an event that isn't being staged with the help of fat-cat sponsors whether it is Ganpati pandals in Mumbai or Durga Puja badis in Calcutta, you can be sure a gutka king is lurking and leering in the shadows. After all, he's picking up the tab. Invitations to the ritziest events in town have logos dominating the cards. But who knows, maybe every ladoo had a mithai wallahs label stuck on it. Years ago, in Mumbai, a farsighted woman had figured it all out.