In the mid nineties Alanis Morrisette came out with a single called Ironic. The song was popular for its haunting melody and tongue in cheek lyrics. If she had to rewrite it today, and if she had the misfortune of sitting through the latest Airtel ad, she may have been to driven to add another quirky definition of the word ironic - the fact that one of India's largest ad firms, makes an ad for one of India's largest brands, which is endorsed by one of the biggest stars, AND YET delivers probably one of the worst ads in Indian advertising history. The new Airtel ad is a monumental disaster. Yes, I am talking about the one with Shahrukh Khan impersonating a cross between a retard and bugs bunny.

The idea is not just borrowed, but borrowed and mutilated, the script irritating,the acting simply unbearable. In cultures where bad ads seldom register,this one haunts with the nagging tenacity of a mouth ulcer. One cannot help but imagine the late night scene in the agency, with an enthusiastic team going through reels and reels of the Aamir Khan Coke ads and the Irfan Khan Hutch ads, and finally finding the 'middle ground'. In the hope of creating advertising history. Alas, they failed.