Brand wagon: Backstage staff wear T-shirts bearing the sponsor’s logo and a poster of a Fairever-sponsored production. Pix: Rahul Jayaram

The actor on the screen hits a boundary. The ball rolls to a halt near a hoarding. Airtel, says the advertisement. And, at that very moment, firecrackers shimmer and crackle, as the credits of a play that is about to follow come up on the screen.

When ads can’t go to the people, let the people come to the ads. At least that’s what’s happening in rural Assam, where companies have tied up with mobile theatre groups to spread their messages — on a platform that draws thousands of people.

Nalbari, a district with parrot-green paddy fields on the outskirts of Guwahati, is buzzing. It’s a Sunday evening, and there are three pandals put up by as many drama troupes. Each has around 2,500 people inside and there are scores waiting outside.

Posters and banners advertise the companies that have lent their name — and resources — to the play. Mobile operator Airtel, liquor brand Officer’s Choice and fast moving consumer goods company CavinKare are names that light up the pandals.

The show begins inside the Airtel tent. A VCD unit shows Assamese actor Jatin Bora hit his boundary right next to the Airtel ad. Once that’s done, the play begins, and a family drama unfolds. Every now and then, the sponsor’s logo flashes.

In a bid to expand their presence in the northeast — in particular Assam — India Inc. appears to have found a novel way out. Their logos and names are travelling with Assam’s popular mobile theatre into the interiors of the region, areas often besieged by bad roads and militants.

“It was an idea waiting to be capitalised upon,” says Sudipto Chowdhury, chief operating officer, Bharti Airtel, east & northeast, which is in the second year of its tie-up with Kohinoor theatre group. “The reach of the groups in the area is immense. It’s a win-win situation.”

Airtel, Aircel, CavinKare, ITC, Britannia and Officer’s Choice are among a host of groups vying for the northeast pie. To be sure, the practice is already prevalent in Bengal. Soumik Chakraborty, marketing manager, CavinCare, says the company sponsored jatra events in Bengal under the Chik shampoo banner last year. Other sponsors of jatra in rural Bengal include Parlé, Britannia and Reliance Communications. Chiranjeet, a Bengali movie star and a popular jatra artiste, says he has got Reliance Communications and Britannia, among others, to sponsor a jatra this year.

But Assam tells another story. In the northeast, mobile theatre is being used by companies as an advertising board because several factors together make it difficult for them to open business in the interiors. Lack of infrastructure is an issue; more important still is the active presence of militant groups in the region. Extortion bids and kidnapping are common occurrences, reasons why companies are often reluctant to set up shop in rural areas.

Chakraborty of CavinCare explains how companies benefit from associating with mobile theatre troupes. “Instead of us going to the northeast and setting up base from scratch, this is a cost effective way of establishing a presence.” The group has tied up with Bardoichila theatre group, and the plays help in promoting products like its skin cream, Fairever. In one of the plays, two young girls start to discuss each other’s looks. The slightly fair-skinned girl recommends her skin cream to the other one, casually mentioning the name of the product — which, of course, is Fairever.

Not every company or brand creeps into the script. The Officer’s Choice brand, Aircel and Britannia, for instance, have stuck to posters, and hoardings. The trucks that carry the crew bear company insignias. In the case of Officer’s Choice, the backstage staff wear T-shirts bearing the brand’s name. Almost all the companies also pitch in with props like LCD and VCD players and projectors. Depending on the brand and troupe, total expenses per season can be Rs 4-5 lakh for the sponsoring companies.

The drama groups travel from August to April. The preparatory work begins by May. “Usually, one group does not perform for more than two days in the same village,” says Asomee Duttabaruah of the Guwahati-based Eastern Communications Network, who has aided several companies in strategising branding operations in Assam through mobile troupes.

The panchayat of the village where the play is being staged pays a fixed amount to the troupe. The sales from the tickets for the first show go to the panchayat and the next one is split 60:40 between the troupe and the panchayat. Ticket prices vary according to location, but are roughly between Rs 20 and Rs 80.

Duttabaruah says the marketing is undertaken in a phased manner. Messages are sent out through leaflets and posters distributed by a van bearing the name of the troupe, the brand and some details of the upcoming play.

A current hit with actress Prastuti Parashar deals with a lady cop who fights the local land mafia, while simultaneously performing her role as a home-maker.

Insiders point out that mobile theatres are a traditional and quintessential feature of Assamese culture. So, even as other media like TV and cinema grow, the plays continue to be popular. Also, the Assamese film industry has been in the doldrums and many of its artists have made a comeback in Assamese theatre — quite a few having started off from there. Corporate sponsorship, they feel, has brought in a great dose of glamour and money.

Current stars such as Jatin Bora, Ravi Sharma or Prastuti Parashar have seen a surge in their payments per season. “Four or five years ago they may have got Rs 15-20 lakh per season, but now they easily earn Rs 30-35 lakh,” says a theatre company official. Supporting actors, technicians and other crew are also earning better than before. “We used to get Rs 3-4 lakh till a few years ago. Now I earn Rs 7-8 lakh per season. The industry has seen more money after companies came in,” says a character actor.

The overall spurt in dramatic activity has seen the number of theatre troupes go up too. There are 40 theatre groups now, up from the 25 that were active a couple of years ago. However, theatre owner Suren Hazarika of Itihaas troupe feels the entry of India Inc. has diluted the content and quality of Assamese theatre, with the increase in the glamour quotient.

But Hazarika acknowledges he wouldn’t have thought of starting his own theatre company “which will only do plays with a social message,” if the situation wasn’t conducive. “The companies have brought in more audiences, and in turn helped revive this art form,” he says.

Companies are not complaining either. Bharati group and CavinKare representatives acknowledge a growth in product sales, though they don’t have ready figures. More sponsors like Vodafone are slowly making their way in as well. As of now, India Inc seems to have created drama in Assam.