Singapore—The government released several videos in time for Deepavali which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called “fun” but “with a serious message.”
Netizens are enjoying them as well.
One video, which promotes Workforce Singapore (WSG)’s Adapt and Grow programmes features a grandma who levels up her cooking skills in time to help her king, after another king had threatened to unfriend him.
Entitled, ‘A Royal Conundrum,’ it’s been viewed over 435,000 times. The Straits Times (ST) says that it was inspired by Imsai Arasan, a Tamil historical-comedy movie released in 2006, according to Soffy Hariyanti, director of campaigns and production at the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).
Netizens have left comments expressing how much they’ve enjoyed the video.
Even someone who identified themself as a Malaysian said they were inspired by the video.
Several netizens wrote that they watched the video numerous times.
One commenter said the video made them not only want to ‘Adapt & Grow’ but also crave Vadai
Some showed love for the grandma in the video
When PM Lee shared the video he wrote, “It’s a fun video with a serious message. We need to prepare for economic changes by learning new skills and adapting to new job demands.”
On a lighter note he added, “Have a good Deepavali, but do eat in moderation!”
With Deepavali just around the corner, many Indian families must be busy with festive preparations, including cooking up a storm for friends and families.
In this Gov.sg video, grandma became the heroine after she upgraded herself from only knowing how to cook Vadai, to become a confident chef with her own online business. An inspiring example of life-long learning!
It’s a fun video with a serious message. We need to prepare for economic changes by learning new skills and adapting to new job demands. Workforce Singapore – WSG’s Adapt and Grow programmes are making progress on this front. It requires determination and perseverance, but together, we can upgrade ourselves and overcome our challenges. Find out more here: wsg.gov.sg/adapt-and-grow.html.
Have a good Deepavali, but do eat in moderation! – LHL
The other Deepavali video promotes CHAS, the Community Health Assist Scheme, by showing how the scheme helps with medical expenses when a guest of a king falls ill and a doctor needs to be called.
The characters in the video explain what CHAS is about, and at the end of the video, encourage viewers to go for medical screenings.
The king in the video references the popular Indian movie Baahubali, sating “If we use motion capture technology to show me fighting like Baahubali, will our people believe it?”
Like the first video, netizens were full of praise for ‘What could go wrong at a Royal Deepavali celebration?’
Ms Haryanti told ST, “The idea was to create videos with entertaining yet meaningful messages, which would resonate with viewers.”
The two videos are from Cosmic Ultima Pictures and were directed by S.S. Vikneshwaran. They star host-actor-singer Elamaran Natarajan and actress-host Jaenani Netra, who are husband and wife in real life. -/ TISG
Read related: Dr Tan Cheng Bock wishes all Hindus a ‘Happy Deepavali’, in Tamil
http://theindependent.sg/dr-tan-cheng-bock-wishes-all-hindus-a-happy-deepavali-in-tamil/