Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara had floored one and all, so film buffs were obviously curious to know about her next venture. The new film, a family comedy named Dil Dhadakne Do, is being shot across exotic European destinations on a cruiseliner and will not be released till June 2015.
Zoya however wasted no time in releasing the first poster, which obviously elevated audience curiosity. The multi-star cast has already created a buzz by posting pictures on Twitter and Instagram from the sets, and the poster has definitely announced the film in a big way.
Salman Khan’s Kick pretty much started its online promotion with the announcement of the release date around five months back. Salman fans went into frenzy as the first look appeared, which was followed by a poster, a teaser and finally a full-fledged trailer.
On Tuesday, the official teaser of Bang Bang was launched on YouTube and it took less than 24 hours to receive nearly five lakh hits. This, the producers have indicated, is merely an appetiser for a bigger theatrical trailer launch, even as Bollywood colleagues have rushed to congratulate the film’s stars, Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif, besides director Siddharth Anand, for the stylish promo.
Almost all producers are launching an online teaser first to announce the actual trailer now. The producers of Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor’s quirky crossover thriller Finding Fanny, for instance, managed to garner sufficient frenzy online with a teaser before the trailer was launched amid hype.
Film promotions have touched a new high, with most filmmakers working towards creating an optimum buzz before release. A well chalked out strategy begins with the launch of the first look of the film or its prominent star, which is followed by a motion poster and, at times, something as bizarre as a trailer announcing the actual trailer launch.
Promotional activities offer sufficient scope to create online buzz by regularly finding space in random websites, and social networking sites such as Twitter and Instagram.
Online promotion has emerged as the most effective and inexpensive way to create a buzz but there is a flipside. At times, publicity overkill backfires, and the film fails to sustain itself even for a limited period at the theatres.
“Filmmakers have opted for a well-thought process of creating a buzz much in advance through internet, which is the most inexpensive medium. The release of a teaser on YouTube creates recall value as it can be played umpteen times. The release of a trailer and a poster is also supplemented with media comment, which further helps in publicity,” said trade analyst Komal Nahta.
Although excessive promotion can lead to publicity overkill, filmmakers are in no mood to go against the trend. Last year’s blockbuster Dhoom 3 was the only exception as Aditya Chopra and Aamir Khan opted for limited promotion. “Dhoom 3 was an exception as the franchise was strong enough. Most big films need first-week collections and cannot afford to take risks,” added Nahta.
In such a scenario, it is refreshing to come across small films such as Queen, Filmistaan, City Lights and Ankhon Dekhi that avoided excessive promotions and banked on content to win over the niche audience. These low-budget films worked on word-of-mouth publicity and was acclaimed despite no aggressive promotion.
FINDING FANNY
Homi Adajania’s film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Dimple Kapadia and Arjun Kapoor
HARDSELL FACT
The crossover film targeted at a niche audience released a teaser first to announce the actual trailer launch.
The new looks of Deepika and Arjun created a buzz on their online release in June while the film is ready for release in August. Deepika’s stunning look as a Goan girl created a ripple online and the actual trailer was launched amid sufficient hype to set the mood for the quirky thriller film
HAIDER
Vishal Bhardwaj’s remake of Hamlet stars Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Irrfan, Kay Kay Menon and Shraddha Kapoor
HARDSELL FACT
Shahid Kapoor’s new look as Haider was released well in advance June though the film opens only in October.
Shahid Kapoor fans were thrilled to see his bearded look teamed with cropped hair, which the actor dons to portray Haider, Vishal Bhardwaj’s reinterpretation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The first look of the film and the sleek trailer created unprecedented curiosity among niche filmgoers.
KICK
Sajid Nadiadwala’s debut directorial casts Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Nawazuddin Siddiqui
HARDSELL FACT
The buzz about the Eid release triggered off a fake poster created by a Salman fan that went viral online.
Although fake posters mushroom for most big films, in the case of Kick the fake poster garnered huge eyeballs. The first look showing just the mask that Salman wears was released one-and-a-half month ago in June. The real poster of the film was released in a popular single screen theatre in Mumbai. The trailer launched on YouTube received millions of hit within no time and was declared the mostwatched Bollywood trailer in recent times.
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