Henry Harvin Education & Chetan Bhagat threaten to dox couples' PDA in writing course promo

A cab driver is annoyed with couples indulging in some PDA while he’s behind the wheel. He wants them to stop so he points to a hanging placard which reads (translated to English), “Kissing is prohibited in the car.” 

But, the potency of young love is unquenchable. The driver honks incessantly and when that doesn’t work, resorts to physically separating them whilst driving the car only to meet with an accident. 

Cut to a fresh scene where the driver – now smirking – hangs a new placard which reads, “Enjoy as much as you want, I’ll upload your kiss on a Reel and make it go viral.” 

The couple in the cab is scandalised and sitting far away from each other, the driver is wearing a smug look. Cue in author Chetan Bhagat who touts the 30+ writing courses from edu tech platform Henry Harvin. 

How is threatening to put couples’ PDA on social media with a warning placard sign of one’s writing prowess? 

Yes, the driver did not want people kissing in his cab. He could have stopped the vehicle and asked them to zip it or else the car wouldn’t move. He could have called the app’s helpline for instructions on how to move forward. 

But threatening to leak someone’s intimate photographs or video on social media is downright misogynistic, controlling, and criminal.  

“We are thrilled to launch this campaign, which not only showcases our creativity but also reflects our values as a company. At Henry Harvin, we believe in thinking outside the box and finding innovative solutions to real-world problems,” reads the company’s release. 

The ad was made in-house. 

Unfortunately, the ad does nothing for the brand, and that warning placard is not a sign of creative writing skill. It only makes one wonder what is the advertiser trying to portray. How is such a move linked to a writing course? Where is the information about the course? What is the course syllabus? What is Chetan Bhagat doing at the end of the ad? 

All valid questions, but with no simple answers. 

What’s even more eyebrow-raising are the YouTube video titles of the brand. Innuendo to pull in views? 

The company’s website says it is one of the “largest multinational higher edtech companies present globally”, and it offers doctorate, degree, diploma and certification courses. “Operating since 2013 and having a portfolio of 1200+ courses across 37+ categories,” reads the ‘About Us’ section. 

There are courses in languages, AI and Data Science, marketing, finance, teaching, technology, and even Medical. A bunch of writing courses are on offer starting from certificate courses and moving up to post-graduate courses. 

There is even a Master's (MS) in Content Writing by College de Paris priced at Rs 59,500. 

Bhagat came on board in 2023 as Henry Harvin Education’s brand ambassador. Seeing a celebrity promote an upskilling or edtech course is not a new phenomenon. 

MasterClass is known the world over for having greats teach courses like Gordon Ramsay teaching cooking or Neil Gaiman on storytelling. Back in India, there was Frontrow which had the likes of Varun Grover teach script writing or Swanand Kirkire teach lyric writing. 

It remains unclear if Chetan Bhagat will teach a course at Harvey Harvin Education.