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Hype's the way [Mail Today (India)]
[October 20, 2014]

Hype's the way [Mail Today (India)]


(Mail Today (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Film promotion gets mightier by the day as Bollywood bigwigs go all- out with novel strategies.

SHAH Rukh Khan with the team of Happy New Year entertained and expanded his fan base in America and Canada in the extravagant musical HNY Slam! The Tour . Immediately after their return, the ensemble cast comprising director Farah Khan, and SRK's co- stars Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah referred to as Agents of Happiness formed the judging panel of a dance reality show, Dil Se Naache Indiawaale , the title of the show being inspired from a song in the film. This dance show is in addition to a number of mandatory appearances the cast makes on various TV shows before the release of the film on Diwali.



In contrast, Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif refrained from excessively promoting Bang Bang! on TV shows before its release. The marketing team instead introduced an ingenious Bang Bang Dare wherein several prominent Bollywood biggies were dared to take up a challenge, the video of which was used to create an online buzz for the film.

The Aamir Khan- starrer PK will be the last Bollywood biggie this year, slated for a release on Christmas. A poster of the star in the nude with just a transistor covering his modesty was released in August. It turned out to be the mother of all Bollywood promotional strategies so far, remaining the talk of the town for the longest time.


Bollywood promotions are touching a new height with each release. With the advent of prominent Hollywood studios into Hindi film production, big budgets are being allotted for film promotions. Filmmakers seem more eager to outshine each other with innovative promotional strategies than offbeat content.

" Earlier we would be done with a film once dubbing was over.

The producer would go out and promote the film. The game has changed now ( as) the actor has to promote the film. It is a pain.

Promotions are getting ' cheaper'," said Salman Khan in an interview, underlining the chaos around film promotion.

" People are going to any limits to promote their films. It is ridiculous. I feel the audience should see the promos and songs of a film and then decide if they want to watch it or not. We should do a few interviews here and there and that's it," added Salman.

A newfound strategy involves actors changing their display names on Twitter to their onscreen names to promote a particular film, to make their fans familiar with their onscreen avatars.

Straightjacket promotions consisting of interviews, promotional events and releasing interesting shooting trivia have become a thing of the past. With the maddening rise for big bucks, film promotions are going on an overkill to woo the audience thereby depriving them of the curiosity factor.

BOBBY JASOOS THE STRATEGY: Vidya Balan donned various guises to promote the film in which she played a detective DID IT WORK? Vidya has acquired the sobriquet of ' mistress of disguises' as she changes her get- up in all her films. In Bobby Jasoos , Vidya donned a dozen different get- ups to justify her role as a detective. Popular for her inmakeup promotions, she appeared on reality shows in wacky get- ups ranging from a fat woman to a postman and many more. The makeover gimmick failed to leave a positive impact on the fate of the film.

THE STRATEGY: Parineeti Chopra and Aditya Roy Kapoor embarked on a food tour, sampling food at eateries all over India DID IT WORK? Food was an important element of Habib Faisal's quirky film, and the promotion revolved around the lead pair sampling delicacies in various cities. Elaborate fare was offered at the launch of the film and towards its release. Parineeti and Aditya visited regular but popular eating joints in various cities as part of the tour.

Despite the exhaustive exercise, the film failed at the box office.

DAAWAT- e- ISHQ BANG BANG! THE STRATEGY: Bang Bang Dare on Twitter, daring B- town celebrities to take up various challenges DID IT WORK? Before the release of the film, Hrithik challenged many of his colleagues to muster courage and take up the dare. Ranveer Singh chose to dance on a busy road wearing a Krrish outfit ( pic right), Nargis Fakhri rapped and Priyanka Chopra performed a handstand with three pushups in high heels. Shah Rukh Khan showed his 10- pack abs. Salman Khan ignored the dare, which again made news.

THE STRATEGY: Aamir Khan's nude poster released in August followed by a few more posters DID IT WORK? Aamir reintroduced the ageold trick of poster promotion with a new twist.

His wacky idea of going nude in the first poster shocked and surprised the audience. It invited the ire of the moral police and PILs against the actor, but it has kept the film in the news eversince its launch in August. It is a quiet way to build up hype for the Raj Kumar Hirani film, which releases only in Christmas.

RA. ONE With Ra. One , Shah Rukh Khan started the trend of selling film merchandise before the release of a film.

Partnering with an online shopping portal, Ra. One accessories were put up on sale, elevating curiosity among kids.

Vidya Balan wore a prosthetic baby bump and moved around at the railway stations in Mumbai to promote her on- screen image before the release of Sujoy Ghosh film.

KAHAANI Amitabh Bachchan played a media magnate and was seen reading news on a TV channel to give a news round up.

RANN The film was about a struggling actor, so lead actors Shahid Kapoor and Genelia D'Souza spent a night together inside a car to highlight the theme.

PICK OF THE LOT MASTER MARKETEER Aamir Khan is well known for his out- of- the- box promotional ideas.

He started a trend by giving the Ghajini haircut to fans before the film's release. During 3 Idiots, he went into hiding to establish the character Rancho. Aamir refrained from any promotional activity before Dhoom 3 which again worked in the films favour. For his upcoming release PK , Aamir started an innovative poster campaign to create a strong buzz.

Aamir Khan turned a hairstylist to give the Ghajini haircut to fans in an innovative promotional event held before the release of the film.

GHAJINI CHANCE PE DANCE PK THE STRATEGY: HNY Slam! The Tour in the US and Canada; trailer launch on WhatsApp; the exclusive TV show Dil Se Nachein Indiawale DID IT WORK? Slam! The Tour was an innovative strategy to encash SRK's global appeal. Targeted at creating a buzz among the starstruck NRI audience in America and Canada, the colourful shows were a success. If the turnout at the shows translates to ticket sales, Shah Rukh's promotion strategy will be deemed a success in the overseas market. The cast was introduced as Agents of Happiness on Dil Se Nachein Indiawale , shot with a live audience and was held in four metros.

The finalé of the show will be held in Delhi just before the film's release.

HAPPY NEW YEAR (c) 2014 India Today Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

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