Most
actors
usually
face
obscurity
after
a
fade-out
from
the
limelight.
Zeenat
Aman
in
The
Royals.
Zeenat
Amanullah
Khan.
Zeenat
Aman.
Yes,
Zeenie
baby
—
the
hottest
heroine
of
the
’70s
and
’80s.
Zeenat
of
Dum
Maro
Dum
fame.
Zeenat
of
Qurbani
fame.
Zeenat
of
Insaaf
Ka
Tarazu
fame.
Of
Satyam
Shivam
Sundaram
fame.
Zeenat
Aman,
the
Femina
Miss
India
runner-up
who
became
the
sexiest
and
zingiest
star
of
a
generation
gone
by,
took
a
longish
break
from
films
in
the
mid-’80s.
She
did
return
to
the
silver
screen
in
cameo,
insignificant
roles
over
the
next
many
years,
but
they
were
sporadic
and
listless.
Therefore,
there
was
much
buzz
in
recent
months
about
Zeenat
Aman’s
much-anticipated
comeback
in
Netflix’s
The
Royals,
where
she
played
the
role
of
Maji
Sahiba
—
the
regal
matriarch
of
a
royal
family
entangled
in
palace
politics
and
contemporary
scandals.
But
her
return
has
left
fans
disheartened.
The
return
of
1970s
screen
siren
Zeenat
Aman
has
turned
high
expectations
to
dust:
A
classic
case
of
more
smoke
than
screen.
Her
role
is
not
just
underwhelming,
it
is
a
great
opportunity
hopelessly,
and
mercilessly,
squandered
—
and
wasted.
Zeenat
Aman
has
been
reduced
in
The
Royals
to
a
glorified
cameo
—
mostly
seen
smoking
weed,
delivering
cryptic
(and
uninteresting)
one-liners,
sitting
around
stoically
—
her
presence
in
the
narrative
largely
neglected.
Bobby
Deol
in
Animal.
Most
actors
usually
face
obscurity
after
a
fade-out
from
the
limelight.
In
recent
times,
Bobby
Deol
has
been
one
significant
exception.
After
an
inordinately
prolonged
lull
in
his
career
as
a
hero,
he
embraced
the
challenge
of
portraying
a
villain
with
a
unique
look,
intense
characterisation,
and
powerful
performances,
redefining
his
own
image
as
an
actor.
Bobby
Deol’s
realistic
acceptance
of
the
comatose
state
of
his
career,
coupled
with
a
determination
to
perhaps
prove
himself,
has
paved
the
way
for
a
most
spectacular
comeback.
He
has
broken
away
from
the
shackles
of
his
past
image
of
a
romantic
hero
and
delivered
stellar
performances
that
have
resonated
with
newer
audiences
who
had
perhaps
never
seen
him
in
his
earlier
avatar.
In
both
Animal
and
Aashram,
his
negative
roles
play
a
pivotal
role
in
driving
the
storyline,
impacting
the
narrative
through
his
portrayals.
Deol’s
comeback
has
been
actually
more
powerful
than
his
first
innings
as
a
goody-goody
hero.
Illustration:
Dominic
Xavier/Rediff
Which
brings
me
to
brands.
And
their
attempts
at
comebacks.
Tens
of
brands
in
recent
years
have
attempted
to
return
to
consumer
love
—
the
Ambassador
car,
Garden
Vareli
sarees,
Jawa
and
Yezdi
bikes,
Nirula’s
QSR
restaurants,
Chetak
and
Lambretta
scooters,
Rola
Cola
candy,
BPL
TVs,
BSA
bicycles,
Dalda
vanaspati,
Usha
fans
and
more.
Most
re-run
attempts
have
been,
at
best,
tepid.
Banking
on
old
glory
with
newer
audiences
is
a
brand
equity
game
that
has
not
really
played
out
too
well
in
India,
despite
a
lot
of
PR
hype
and
bluster.
Which
is
why
the
glorious
return
of
brand
Campa
is
being
hailed
as
an
unqualified
success.
Campa
Cola,
an
iconic
Indian
soft
drink
of
the
’70s
and
’80s,
has
made
a
successful
comeback
in
the
Indian
market,
thanks
to
Reliance’s
acquisition,
and
a
well-orchestrated
brand
re-launch
thereafter.
The
brand
was
reintroduced
with
a
focus
on
affordability,
appealing
to
price-sensitive
consumers
with
a
low
price
point,
significantly
cheaper
than
competitors
like
Coca-Cola
and
Pepsi.
This
strategy
has
helped
Campa
Cola
gain
market
share,
especially
in
rural
and
semi-urban
areas,
surprising
the
multinational
brands.
Reliance
Industries
acquired
Campa
Cola
in
2022
and
re-launched
the
brand
in
2023.
Campa
is
priced
at
₹10
for
a
200
ml
bottle,
significantly
lower
than
other
cola
brands.
The
brand
leverages
nostalgia
(and
a
bit
of
nationalism)
for
the
original
Campa
Cola,
while
shrewdly
appealing
to
price-conscious
consumers.
Campa
Cola
has
captured
double-digit
market
share
in
key
geographies,
especially
upcountry
markets.
Comebacks
have
always
been
driven
by
the
belief
that
an
old
brand
(or
celebrity)
—
one
that
once
carried
significant
consumer
equity
and
offered
an
edge
in
the
market
—
is
safer
to
bring
back
than
to
build
fresh
equity
for
a
new
brand
from
scratch.
Zeenat
Aman,
one
would
believe,
still
has
reasonable
reservoirs
of
goodwill
(and
nostalgia)
amongst
fans,
even
if
those
numbers
are
now
dwindling.
A
poorly
sketched
role
in
a
highly
tom-tomed
Netflix
series
has
obviously
fallen
short
of
popular
expectations.
An
injustice
to
diva
Zeenat
Aman.
She
has
been
shortchanged.
Bobby
Deol
did
not
rely
on
nostalgia.
He
made
a
completely
fresh
start
—
and
succeeded.
The
only
burden
from
the
past
was
his
famous
family
name;
a
Deol
as
a
villain
would
be
unthinkable.
But
it
is
the
comeback
of
Campa
that
is
the
boldest
and
the
best
—
a
brand
dragged
out
of
recessed
memory,
with
great
pricing
and
aggressive
distribution.
Sandeep
Goyal
is
chairman
of
Rediffusion
Feature
Presentation:
Rajesh
Alva/Rediff