BJP Spoofs Bollywood's 'Animal' in Campaign Targeting MVA Alliance
In Maharashtra's election race, BJP's ad spoofs Bollywood’s “Animal” to target MVA leaders, stirring social media with political jabs and alliances.
Deepanjali
The Maharashtra Assembly election campaign has reached new heights as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rolls out a provocative ad spoof inspired by the Bollywood blockbuster Animal, cleverly designed to lampoon leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. The ad takes sharp jabs at former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aditya Thackeray, and other prominent MVA leaders, including Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Rahul and Sonia Gandhi of the Indian National Congress.
The MVA coalition, formed in 2019, brought together Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP, and the Indian National Congress to create a formidable opposition against the BJP in Maharashtra. However, as the state gears up for its next Assembly elections, political tensions have surged, and campaign spending on digital advertising has hit new peaks. The BJP’s new ad, part of an extensive multimedia campaign, uses satire to underscore perceived weaknesses within the MVA alliance, featuring the Thackerays in roles from Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal. In this parody, Uddhav Thackeray is cast in a character inspired by Anil Kapoor, with his son Aditya taking on the persona of Ranbir Kapoor, suggesting internal conflicts and allegiances within the MVA.
Beyond targeting the Thackerays, the ad humorously portrays Sharad Pawar and the Gandhis, illustrating the BJP's criticism of the MVA's collaboration with Congress. The ad's message also ties into the BJP's October 11, 2024, print campaign, “Ek Hai, toh safe hai,” which accuses the MVA of fueling divisive politics that impact Maharashtra’s backward classes.
Maha Vinash Aghadi Presents
— भाजपा महाराष्ट्र (@BJP4Maharashtra) November 11, 2024
MVANIMAL#ShameOnMVA pic.twitter.com/RTMLhLwpfu
Meanwhile, the MVA isn’t backing down in this digital ad war. The Indian National Congress recently launched its own digital campaign, sharply criticizing the BJP-led Mahayuti government for alleged failings in supporting Maharashtra's farmers. This campaign follows increasing expenditures on digital platforms, with reports from Meta’s Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency Centre revealing that political parties in Maharashtra spent over Rs 6.5 crore on ads from October 6 to November 4, 2024. These investments highlight the growing emphasis on digital platforms as tools to reach Maharashtra’s diverse electorate.
Spending figures reveal the scale of these efforts: Congress invested over Rs 12 lakh on Meta platforms and Rs 18 lakh on Google. Meanwhile, the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction directed Rs 74 lakh toward Meta ads and Rs 24 lakh on Google ads. Interestingly, the Shiv Sena-UBT has chosen not to participate in digital advertising this election cycle.
Television has also become a major battleground for these campaigns, with data from TAM indicating a 145% rise in ad insertions by political parties in October 2024 compared to September 2023. This surge underscores the intensity of the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly election campaigns as parties vie to secure a larger share of the audience across TV, print, and digital platforms.
In the final stretch toward the elections, parties are ramping up creative approaches in their messaging, aiming to reach and influence voters through innovative, multimedia ad strategies. As each party continues to sharpen its messaging and increase ad budgets, this election season promises to be both visually engaging and politically charged, capturing the dynamics of Maharashtra’s evolving political landscape.
