For once though, I have to say that the men might be getting the worse end of the deal, as far as our ads are concerned.

When did the Adarsh Purush turn into an unthinking, inconsiderate dimwit? And the Adarshiya Nari become a clingy, slightly demented, irrational, beauty-crazed woman? Going by the recent set of ads which are being thrown our way, it seems the majority of men and women in India – the ones for whom ad agencies are making their ads – fall into either one of these the two groups.

Take L’Oreal’s recent trio of ads: The Perfect Partner, The Perfect Husband and The Perfect Boyfriend. In each of these ads, a different man is quizzed about various things about their significant other. The respective men are a 34-year-old banker who’s been married for 4 years, Ajay a 22-year-old RJ who’s been in a relationship for 8 months; and Rajeev, a 47-year-old banker who’s been married for 20 years. They seem to all be very up-to-date and savvy with current affairs and general knowledge and would be the pride of any quizzing team. They know answers to questions about the Nobel Peace Prize (who won it in 2001?), cricket (who was the captain of the World Cup-winning Indian cricket team?), history (what is Nehru’s Independence Day speech called?) – and so on.

But when they’re asked what kind of shoes their wife/ girlfriend wears – heels or flats, and what kind of cuisine she prefers eating and what her favourite holiday destination is – they draw a blank. The catch-phrase of the ads being – “If only he knew you as well as we do. We’re perfect for your skin. Really.”

It’s got to make you wonder what romance and a perfect partner is expected to be. You don’t have to be romancing someone to know what cuisine they love or what kind of shoes they usually wear. Most friends and siblings know that about each other. The fact that these “perfect” men are clueless might suggest the presence of cataracts, rather than clue us in on their powers of observation.

Then there’s the man in the Titan’s Raga Woman Of Today ad. A man meets his ex in an airport after ages and immediately proceeds to comment on her unmarried status, how she refused to give up her job for their relationship, and how men can’t be expected to make the same sacrifices as women. All in a span of 20 seconds. Just the things every jilted lover tells an ex-lover when he spots her. Not only does this man not have any pride, he’s also from the Dark Ages. What a winning combination. And of course we’re not supposed to question the woman’s taste in men; only the man’s chauvinism.

I’m sure there are men like this, but how is it that these terrible specimens of masculinity are the only ones we see in our ads. Are there no normal men that can be written into our ads? This is misandry at its best.

Not that the women are necessarily any better than the men. There was the Airtel wife-as-boss ad, in which she was either schizophrenic or idiotic (or both), on which enough has been written. She’s both the demanding boss who wants her husband, who is also her subordinate at work, to work through the night, and the whiny wife who gets home and calls her husband to tell him to just chuck the work and come home for dinner with her.

The same model, Madhurima Tuli, is in the new Flipkart ad. She’s locked her husband out of their bedroom in this one because he’s going to China. This will leave her to unpack and set up their new home. The husband is saying he has to go to China for a work trip, but that’s not mollifying her. No, she’d rather he not go on his business trip and buy curtains instead.

So Flipkart comes to the couple’s rescue and the husband uses the Flipkart app to buy curtains. She emerges smiling, and coyly sidles up to him. Because we all want our spouses and partners to throw a hissy fit when we have to go work. And also, if you’re a woman you can’t possibly operate the Flipkart app yourself.

You have to commend ad agencies for striking the perfect balance between misandry and misogyny.

For once though, I have to say that the men might be getting the worse end of the deal, as far as our ads are concerned. For the most part – other than a few exceptions like the last two ads – women seem to have suddenly become emancipated in the eyes of creative directors. We have jobs, are single independent mothers, and usually don’t need men to validate our identities. We really have come a long way from just applying Fair & Lovely to get ourselves suitable husbands. Matangini Hazra and Rani of Jhansi would be proud.

When did the tables turn for the men in the world of advertisements, though? Why is the only man on display in commercials either making a fool of himself and then leching at strange women – like Ranbir Kapoor in the new Pepsi ad – or showing a studied indifference to the women in their lives? When they are hardworking, responsible men, they’re usually busy mollifying their seemingly unhinged wive or somehow in the wrong.

There’s also an undertone that these men are just being men. L’Oreal has a hashtag after their wonderful ads, which reads as #HeDidItAgain. Even when the man is a desirable object, like Milind Soman in the new Old Spice ads, he’s also an object of mockery. Isn’t it time someone takes up cudgels on their behalf? If not for their sake, then for the sake of us, the female audience.

The only man I’ve noticed being shown as the kind of man you’d like to acquaint yourself with is, is this one. He’s the perfect mix. He’s got a job, seems sensible, invests money wisely. He has a daughter who he cares for and doesn’t treat as a second class citizen. There’s no mother in the picture, nor any whining or pathos. He’s an involved father, who gets her ready for school. And plans for his daughter's future and ensuring that she gets the best of care and is self-sufficient. He also does a good job of getting you to believe in the product he’s selling. Too bad these ads are few and far between.