Idu aambalainga samacharam!

I understand that there quite a few menfolk who visit these pages! Besides, the spouses of many members may occasionally browse through the contents of IL. This is devoted to them!

I have no doubt that all of you are aware of the essential difference between a man and a superman. A superman always wears his underwear over his pants while we, the ordinary mortals, wear it beneath the pants. Having said that, I’ll be failing in my duty if I don’t point out the tremendous burden this puts on the superman. While we can pass off anything as underwear, the super ones will have to ensure that what they wear as underwear is of the best quality and preferably branded ones. It is difficult to say whether the underwear derives its macho image because the superman wears it with pride over his pants! A moot point really!

I am an avid fan of TV ads and spend considerable time watching them. In fact the best I have ever watched is something like this. A man is relaxing by the sea in a supine position. He seems totally at peace with himself when his solitude is disturbed by a bumblebee, which starts hovering around him. He waves his hand at it and it flies away for a second only to return with greater determination. He drives it away again and again but the brute of a bee comes back every time trying to land somewhere around his middle. The battle goes on for a while and a husky laughing voice comes over to announce, “ If you had used our Superclean Tissue, this bee wouldn't be bothering you now!" The brand name was really something else but I don’t remember it now.

According to me, the best ads are the ones relating to underwears. Every promotional ad seeks to project its product as not only highly macho but also as some kind of a gadget that causes mindless passion in all women who come into contact with it. Remember the fellow who enters a ladies’ toilet by mistake and is seen the next minute lying down only in his underwear wearing an ecstatic smile with thousands of lipstick marks all over his body?

In another ad, a damsel in distress is saved by a man clad only in a branded underwear who kicks the hell out of the villain. In the next scene, the girl is in a limousine and the hero in his branded underwear slides beside her in the driver’s seat and asks her, “Thinking of me?” The girl flashes a coquettish smile and throws a glance at his underwear and a voice takes over eulogizing the product. In one of the most poignant ads, the loser in a love triangle laments “What is it he has that I don’t have!” and the camera pans to the underwear that the winner is wearing!

Now that the success of all successful men is attributed to the kind of undergarments that they wear, it is imperative that more care is taken in their selection. After all, no one wants to lose out on this great battle called life in spite of all his accomplishments merely because his underwear is just not right! It’s worse than losing a battle for want of a nail!

Cheeniya Sir,Only you are capable of doing this!!!!

I read the title and thought-OMG,now what is this ..is it something I being a 'lady' should not read...but curiosity killed the cat this time too and I landed here!

So,it is all about underwear ..tell me,is that the only difference between man and superman?One is in and the other is out...hee...hee.

But I must agree with you on those ads..they are hilarious...remember..'This is my son,he wears only Bison!!!'

Have you seen the 'Axe' ads....they too run on similar lines.

dear cheeniya Sir,

ha ha, that was one hilarious piece. In or Out and that is the Question!!!!! But we being pombalais cannot answer it. it is truly "ambalaigal samacharam"

Yes i am having loads of fun seeing all these ads here in India. In the US, have not come across, so much for the mens underwear. One of the ads that stands out in my mind in the US is the fruit of the loom ad, where they have all these men dressed up in various fruits trying to watch tv or some such thing. No beauties sweating or lusting after these men in fruit!!.

But yes branded underwear for men has come a long way and am sure we will pretty soon have a VICTOR'S SECRET CATALOGUE. if not already there. Atleast I have not seen underwear for men being sold in catalogues yet!!
Now thats a new business idea if anyone can use it.

Vandhana

Dear Vandhana

Good to see you active again...Enjoying your time in India,isn't it..Enjoy as long as it lasts...I am sure you will agree that the creativity you see in Indian ads cannot match with anything else...what do you say?

Dear Cheeniya,

It is interesting to note how observant you have been to note all the ads. related to underwear. I remember one particular ad. which you have missed to mention. This ad. imitates the scene from the hindi movie 'Deewar' in which Amitab Bachan will ask his brother (Sashi Kapoor) in the movie, 'Mere pass gaadi hai, banglow hai thumahre pass kya hai'(I have car, bangalow etc. What have you?) to which Sashi Kapoor will reply, ' mere pass maa hai' (I have mother with me). In the ad. when shashi Kapoor equivalent character is asked the same question he will reply 'mere pass Dawn underwear hai' (I am wearing Dawn brand underwear).

In P.G.W novels the episode of Mr. Spode who will get deflated when Wooster tells him 'I know all about Ulele' is connected with underwear since Ulele is the brand name of underwear Mr.Spode is manufacturing.

In Tamil movies, comedian Vivek has made the best use of ' Patta Patti' underwear that many people wear. In one movie he will be projected as a local dada and his friends will ask him to raise the veshti to which he will reply 'I cannot raise beyond this as I am not wearing the patta patti inside. The patta patti underwear is worn not only in Tamil nadu but all over India as I have seen many in Mumbai wearing this.

Regards,

TDU

hello sir,

enna periya aambalainga samacharam:rolleyes:

myself and my mother - we have been buying this 'stuff' for my father and my brother for nearly more than 8 years. they do not know their exact size till this second.

what a wonder and coincidence..... today only we purchased that 'stuff' and happened to see your thread too. anyway telepathy worked ...of not only mine and my mother's....but of many like us.

regards,

vanaja

Cheeniya Sir,
This is the first time I am replying to a post by you. It is true to the core that these ads are projected as if women gets attracted to those women. OMG, I remember how my friend grinds her teeth when she sees such ads. She always fumes cant they leave women out even when they are creating ads for men's wear. But true most men dont really know their exact size and if we women strike that we women are not getting what you are in need of then they are always in a fix when they go to shop as to get which one for them. They infact dont really know what is their regular brand too.(These statements fits to my hubby too).

And they always keep complaining about that women dont really understand thier needs and wants. How funny. They at times dont even bother to throw off the torn ones too and it will be the women who will throw it off while washing it or while folding it.

Cheeniya Sir,

It takes real guts to write something as "aambalainga samacharam" in an all women (except for a handful of men) forum. I guess your age and humour comes handy to protect you.

It's a hilarious post indeed. I could not stop laughing reading the way you described those underwear ads. My 1 yr old was wondering what's wrong with this Amma, why is she laughing at the laptop .

Seeing the responses here looks like this too is not purely aambalainga samacharam, for many women not only wash and fold these for men but buy them too.

Malathy

dear cheeniya sir
rhumbha nalla erruku topic. very interesting topic and written in your unique way which is ofcourse very entertaining. thanks
anandchitra

Dear Cheeniya,

Seeing the response from the ladies to this thread, I am reminded of the joke in the movie ' Manmatha Leelai'. In the movie, Kamala Haasan's head clerk to whom he will tell all his leelais will be taking bath and benarrating to his wife. His wife will tell him not to tell mine but ours. So, irritatingly he will tell ' Go and get our underwear and our baniyan'.

Regards,

TDU