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Thursday, March 28, 2024

On The Highway Of Creativity

By: Amith Rahul

Vinci Raj, the man behind the viral ‘Kabali’ posters is a hardcore Rajini fan. Working in a Rajinikanth film was Vinci’s dream come true.

Rajinikanth starrer movies are always much awaited. Likely this year’s due release ‘Kabali’ also has kept the audience on high toes. The recent release of the official movie poster had swept the social media off its feet, going viral instantly. Looking at the efforts put on the posters, one can easily make out that it’s a work by a diehard Rajini fan.

Vinci Raj, the man behind the viral ‘Kabali’ posters is a hardcore Rajini fan. Working in a Rajinikanth film was Vinci’s dream come true. He did his Bachelor’s in Computer Application and went on to do his MBA. Like they say ‘Creative minds cannot be caged for long’. Vinci soon decided his interest to be in the creative field. He completed his second Master’s in Digital Communication and started his career with the advertising industry. Vinci got his first break to the industry through ‘Attakathi’. Vinci Raj then continued in the film industry designing posters for Soodhu Kavvum, Mundasupatti, Thegidi and Indru Netru Naalai.

Vinci has worked with popular brands for their ad campaigns and has numerous awareness campaigns to his name. He has also won the Cannes Lions 2010 award for the ‘Talk Them Dead’ campaign for the Karnataka Traffic Police and the Spike Asia 2014 award for the short film ‘The Good Road’, about the importance of wearing a helmet.

And here, Creative Brands presents an exclusive interview with Vinci Raj the man of creativity!

How did you come up with the “Guilt”?

I had noticed that after drinking sessions, no matter how good friends they are, people will always ask each other to call and inform once they reach home. But mostly no one cared to know. Most people would be okay with the fact that they had asked and fulfilled their responsibility. The major responsibility, though, is to actually get your friend home – safe.

Now, if something were to happen to a friend after a drinking session with you, and even if you would take the blame on yourself for not being responsible enough, will the law question you? You can escape that, even if you don’t want to, but what about the guilt? Your punishment will be the guilt that will keep nagging you, haunting your conscience.

We have to understand that our lifestyle is such that we will drink and we will party. Bars will not close, government will not restrict the sale of alcohol. But the end doesn’t have to be a disaster. We can give a solution. Too many ads have focused on the problem of drunken-driving. I wanted to give a solution – to call a cab after a drinking session.

I wanted the ad to strike people hard. It had to be relatable enough to make them think. And act. A very close friend of mine had lost his life in a road accident, so ‘Guilt’ was something that I really wanted to bring to life.

Which was your favourite projects amongst the Cannes Venture?

I would say one of them was The Good Road campaign. It’s something powerful. And something that I am very proud of. To put a full-stop something like this was required. That you just cannot ride your bike without your helmet. The young boys were shocked and curious and excited. They were asking for these helmets, wanting to wear it. It was suddenly a cool quotient to wear a helmet. What more would I want from an idea?!

Another one was the Talk Them Dead campaign. Not only because it had gone viral but also because it was impactful. A colleague of mine came up to me even before the ad was released and told me how after seeing my campaign she decided to not call her husband because it was his usual driving time. The visual did not let her call him, scared of the consequences. Imagine the impact it would have created on anyone who had seen the final ad.


Do you agree that the clients play a vital role in the final outcome of a project?

Of course, they do. Their contribution is what helps shape the final thing that people see. I believe the idea is primary, the bigger thing. It’s our creative aspect and their strategy aspect that has to come together to make the outcome beautiful and impactful. Anyway, at the end of the day it’s the client we have to sell the idea to.

When can you claim that a short film is successful? Who plays an important role, the audience or the awards?

To judge whether a film is successful, I go by two parameters: one is when people share the ad with their people, taking the idea forward. The other is the behavioral change – when the ad touches them in some way and brings about a change, in their heart, in their lives.

And of course, the audience. For awards, you have 20 people in a room. The audience, though, is the real jury; it’s the rest-of-the-world who judges the idea and accepts it.

How was your experience working with the Kabali Team?

Oh, wonderful! It was a big opportunity, considering I’m a huge fan of Rajnikanth sir. It was like a family working together with the support that I got from everyone. We had a good time, good fun. I learnt a lot and, I would say, I’m still learning.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals?

Just do it from your heart. Believe in what you’re doing. Every day we are growing and learning.

Do you think that digital advancements have changed the face of art and design?

I don’t think so. It’s all about creativity, the idea. But there are so many artists who are super creative, yet they do not get recognition. They are nowhere. But if these creatives got the required software, they just might make it big. And we might get bigger, better ideas and solutions. I think digital advancements should be made affordable for real advancement.

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