April 20, 2024

People are talking about the excellent series of road safety ads featuring Akshay Kumar as a policeman. They are impressed by the way the script is worked to send a strong message without being preachy. They say that the director has made excellent use of Kumar’s comic timing (remember the Hera Pheri movies?) to weave a strong message of road safety in everyday situations that cops face on the roads. Bikers without helmet, ignoring seat belts, drivers entering a one-way street and people talking on their mobiles while driving are four main traffic violations that happen every second on Indian roads. They seem innocuous, but given the number of road accidents that happen and a large number of people who die in such accidents, these violations are very serious.

Hence, people say, these ads serve a very significant social purpose. They tickle the funny bone but at the same time shame the people who indulge in such violations. Very few Indians can actually claim to have not made any one of the traffic violations shown in the series of ads. People say that when one watches these ads, one is actually reminded of the same situation one was in. People say that if even 5% people try to avoid these situations in future, the ads would have served their purpose. People are also appreciative of the fact that a mega star like Akshay Kumar is taking time off from his busy schedule to do such ads, along with his ads promoting women’s hygiene and prevention of smoking.