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This is a beautiful ad and will make you emotional. As a person of Indian background I was able to relate to it easily but I wonder what others think of it? Are

This is a beautiful ad and will make you emotional. As a person of Indian background I was able to relate to it easily but I wonder what others think of it? Are you able to feel the strong emotions based on reading subtitles or does language hamper the feelings and it loses its impact. Kudos to the team involved in this and thanks for posting this.

selmnoo 13y ago
Being of Pakistani background, I could relate to it a lot. I'm actually just stunned by how well done the ad is in every aspect. I find it a little strange that a big Internet company did this, one wouldn't have expected such a thing. The reaction from my Pakistani friends is overwhelmingly positive too by the way.
- Nux 13y ago
  It's just marketing. Wonder how well it worked and if they saw an increase in sales. :-)
barbs 13y ago
I'm anglo-Australian, and this definitely was very moving, even though it's not something I can relate to on a personal level.
- chris_wot 13y ago
  Agreed. I am also and I felt quite emotional!
Fargren 13y ago
I don't think subtitles were a barrier for the emotions transmitted by the video. At least not for em personally.
anigbrowl 13y ago
No, subtitles don't get in the way at all :')
TheSisb2 13y ago
No Indian background in me but I still teared up. This ad would work in any culture, but the separation they talk about in Indian culture makes it a realistic plot. All you need to relate is to understand what a good friendship is like, maybe even less than that.
slurry 13y ago
Nope, had me weeping like a big white baby.
piyush_soni 13y ago
At least for me, the background song (from renowned singer and lyricist 'Piyush Mishra') adds a LOT in making me emotional - which they didn't translate. So I decided to add a rough translation for the same in the comments, but thanks to new Google+ integration - only junk is at the top on Youtube now. Here's it again (translation of only the BG song), timed for those who are interested: 0:59 : Those narrow streets of childhood jump in joy again ... Tying those little sweet thefts along with it ... 1:35: (Same two lines above, then ... ) Where I would fly like a kite, like a bird ... That was the time .. when my heart felt like a free peacock ... 2:21: When I would sit immersed in those paper boats all day long, ... or 'entangle' myself with those windows peeking outside ... Oh, what a time that was, when there were no restrictions in the heart ... ... That was the time .. when it felt like a free peacock ...
- devnetfx 13y ago
  This is partly why I wonder if people can get the same emotional experience... Songs play such an important role in the Indian media and it can be very hard to describe. On the other hand I am glad to see that people still find it very moving (even from other cultures/languages).
- primelens 13y ago
  Yes, the song is beautiful as well - thanks for translating it, although it's hard to do justice to the original.
  - piyush_soni 13y ago
    Yes, agree. All the feelings in the original language can never be translated. The poetry is lost! I still love to translate things that move me, just to give non-Hindi speakers a rough context. :)
coffeemug 13y ago
I'm a Russian American. I've travelled to India for a few weeks and have some friends from the region, but I don't really understand the ethnic issues beyond a very surface level. The ad made me very emotional. It's a very human story. The fact that the characters in the story happen to be from India and Pakistan are almost tangential to the point. The same story could have been told about east and west Germany before unification, and it would have been just as powerful.
pjmorris 13y ago
I'm from the US, my parents are of European descent. I've never been to India, and I only know English. The story moved me, and it likely would have even without the subtitles.
shadowfiend 13y ago
It was absolutely beautiful, and I watched it without subtitles. The searches are in English, and there is an intro on the page that gives you enough information to let the images and the music do the talking.
zhemao 13y ago
The feeling of being separated from someone you love and missing them deeply is pretty universal. I tear up every time I see the ad.
marshray 13y ago
I haven't felt such loss from a video since Snoopy Come Home.
bane 13y ago
American here, my experience with India/Pakistan is ordering "Indian Spicy" when I get my Chicken Vindaloo. I've watched this advert a half dozen times and I end up pretty misty eyed every time.
drivingmenuts 13y ago
Texan here. The ad series is great - I don't necessarily relate to the India/Pakistan split well, but the emotion presented in the ad is quite easy to relate to.

selmnoo 13y ago

Being of Pakistani background, I could relate to it a lot. I'm actually just stunned by how well done the ad is in every aspect. I find it a little strange that a big Internet company did this, one wouldn't have expected such a thing. The reaction from my Pakistani friends is overwhelmingly positive too by the way.

Nux 13y ago
It's just marketing. Wonder how well it worked and if they saw an increase in sales. :-)

barbs 13y ago

I'm anglo-Australian, and this definitely was very moving, even though it's not something I can relate to on a personal level.

chris_wot 13y ago
Agreed. I am also and I felt quite emotional!

Fargren 13y ago

I don't think subtitles were a barrier for the emotions transmitted by the video. At least not for em personally.

anigbrowl 13y ago

No, subtitles don't get in the way at all :')

TheSisb2 13y ago

No Indian background in me but I still teared up. This ad would work in any culture, but the separation they talk about in Indian culture makes it a realistic plot. All you need to relate is to understand what a good friendship is like, maybe even less than that.

slurry 13y ago

Nope, had me weeping like a big white baby.

piyush_soni 13y ago

At least for me, the background song (from renowned singer and lyricist 'Piyush Mishra') adds a LOT in making me emotional - which they didn't translate. So I decided to add a rough translation for the same in the comments, but thanks to new Google+ integration - only junk is at the top on Youtube now. Here's it again (translation of only the BG song), timed for those who are interested: 0:59 : Those narrow streets of childhood jump in joy again ... Tying those little sweet thefts along with it ... 1:35: (Same two lines above, then ... ) Where I would fly like a kite, like a bird ... That was the time .. when my heart felt like a free peacock ... 2:21: When I would sit immersed in those paper boats all day long, ... or 'entangle' myself with those windows peeking outside ... Oh, what a time that was, when there were no restrictions in the heart ... ... That was the time .. when it felt like a free peacock ...

devnetfx 13y ago
This is partly why I wonder if people can get the same emotional experience... Songs play such an important role in the Indian media and it can be very hard to describe. On the other hand I am glad to see that people still find it very moving (even from other cultures/languages).
primelens 13y ago
Yes, the song is beautiful as well - thanks for translating it, although it's hard to do justice to the original.
- piyush_soni 13y ago
  Yes, agree. All the feelings in the original language can never be translated. The poetry is lost! I still love to translate things that move me, just to give non-Hindi speakers a rough context. :)

coffeemug 13y ago

I'm a Russian American. I've travelled to India for a few weeks and have some friends from the region, but I don't really understand the ethnic issues beyond a very surface level. The ad made me very emotional. It's a very human story. The fact that the characters in the story happen to be from India and Pakistan are almost tangential to the point. The same story could have been told about east and west Germany before unification, and it would have been just as powerful.

pjmorris 13y ago

I'm from the US, my parents are of European descent. I've never been to India, and I only know English. The story moved me, and it likely would have even without the subtitles.

shadowfiend 13y ago

It was absolutely beautiful, and I watched it without subtitles. The searches are in English, and there is an intro on the page that gives you enough information to let the images and the music do the talking.

zhemao 13y ago

The feeling of being separated from someone you love and missing them deeply is pretty universal. I tear up every time I see the ad.

marshray 13y ago

I haven't felt such loss from a video since Snoopy Come Home.

bane 13y ago

American here, my experience with India/Pakistan is ordering "Indian Spicy" when I get my Chicken Vindaloo. I've watched this advert a half dozen times and I end up pretty misty eyed every time.

drivingmenuts 13y ago

Texan here. The ad series is great - I don't necessarily relate to the India/Pakistan split well, but the emotion presented in the ad is quite easy to relate to.