Female desire and a masculine cage — the subversions of a Ranveer Singh ad

The ad is a satirical take on saas-bahu serials, with Singh and internet porn star Johnny Sins playing brothers in a prosperous, multi-generational Indian parivaar. Sins’ onscreen wife is about to leave her marital house even as Singh, playing the patriarchal older brother, tries to persuade her to stay back. He asks her the reason for her extreme decision, to which she reveals the couple’s anxieties in the bedroom, all expressed through euphemistic, and sometimes corny, dialogue. Then Singh hands Sins an enabling product and a couple of slow-motion stunts later, the now mollified wife decides to stay back.

Unlike his portrayal of Rocky Randhawa in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, in which Singh demolished the idea that a man couldn’t be proud of displaying his feminine side, his emotional quotient or even perform a classical dance, in the ad he challenges the very definition of manhood. First of all, he appears as an older brother to the older-looking Sins, challenging the idea of ageism. He easily depicts why age-related hierarchy has nothing to do with a serious discussion on sex and can very well be the subject of sanskari family conversations since, in the end, it concerns family health. Second, by casting an adult film star like Sins as a man suffering from erectile dysfunction, the ad strips the myths associated with male libido. Yes, alpha males can be impotent too. Third, the woman articulates her right to be pleasured in a marriage not before her mother-in-law but her brother-in-law or jethji, who offers a practical solution instead of being tongue-tied and stunned. The kicker, though, is in the punchline, #TakeBoldCareofHer, linking male performance to female contentment and not the other way around, as has been done, and continues to be done, in saas bahu soaps.

Of course, the viral ad has the authorship of standup comedian and YouTuber Tanmay Bhat, who co-owns the advertising agency, Moonshot Media. But it is in no way irreverent or titillating, the idea being to strip the subject of male impotence of stigma. In fact, the campaign is just a teaser for serious YouTube videos on men’s sexual health with Singh doing Q and As with experts and even seeking the feminine perspective as he interacts with author Seema Anand, a storyteller and mythologist specialising in women’s narratives, particularly in the Kama Sutra. Of course, there is selling of a whole range of medically approved products but there is also a discussion board.

Erectile dysfunction is a serious problem in India with latest statistics showing that 35 per cent of men before the age of 40 face sexual problems at some stage. A 2015 study in Karnataka had shown that 21.15 per cent of the men tested were diagnosed with one (or more) sexual disorder. Prevalence of erectile dysfunction was found to be 15.77 per cent, male hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) at 2.56 per cent and premature ejaculation at 8.76 per cent. And yet, most men, in their effort to conceal rather than reveal, end up going to quacks and sexologists instead of seeking clinical redress from what is mostly a biological issue. Male impotence is also a corollary of poor lifestyle, diabetes, hypertension and smoking and can be addressed with medication or surgery. But if there’s no easy and safe space to talk about it, male sexual health will never get the attention it deserves. At least, this ad has set the ball rolling.

rinku.ghosh@expressindia.com