Amitabh Bachchan launched a mobile game Baabul after the movie. The game is obviously to garland Rani Mukherjee by two players, evidently Salman Khan and John Abraham. Movie had reaped huge dividends by making use of the latest promotional strategies.
Market is ready for Saawariya bed, bath and linen products and Om Shanti Om (OSO) clothes. As Bollywood gears up for the festive season with two big-ticket releases, producers are going the whole hog and more to “spread the word about the films” so that they sizzle at the box-office and beyond. So, we began seeing promos on TV and posters on buses for both these films right from August though both films are set to release on November 9. A blue-tinted poster of Saawariya, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali which will see the launch of two star kids Ranbir and Sonam Kapoor, is up at the Regal cinema in Mumbai.
And both Saawariya and OSO have tied up with the Future Group and Shopper’s Stop respectively to launch a special range of merchandise. “Every year, producers are doing a little more to promote their films, especially in the festive period. “This quarter is the biggest for the industry and everyone pulls out all stops to ensure they have a hit on their hands.” In fact, of the five big releases everyone’ spurting their money on - Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Saawariya, OSO and Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan’s home production which is set to release during the Christmas holidays (December 21) - Sampat feels one will go on to become the biggest grosser of the year.
At multiplexes, the turnout is always heavier during the festival season and if the film is good, a good collection is assured.Bollywood typically launches two big movies during Diwali. If last year, it was Don and Jaan-e- Maan, in 2005 it was Garam Masala and Shaadi No. 1. This year, Eros International, which has bagged the distribution rights for OSO, is releasing an unprecedented 2,000 prints of the film worldwide. “It’s always good to release a film in the festival season.
Everyone wants to go out with the family and have a good time,” admits Siddharth Roy Kapur, executive VP, marketing, distribution & syndication, UTV Motion Pictures, which is releasing the John Abraham-starrer Goal on November 23. UTV too has already launched a campaign to promote the film, including a tie up with famous UK football club Manchester United which will ensure that two lucky winners of the Goal contest will get to watch a Manchester United match in person.
This is the first large-scale film on the game and we are fanning out to cities and towns to promote the film.
Producers are opting for new ways of promotion too. For instance, Aamir Khan premiered the first look at Taare Zameen Par on the film’s website, ahead of the launch of the promos in cinema halls on Friday. Director Imtiaz Ali asked the audience to choose the name of his next film - the Shahid-Kareena Kapoor-starrer Jab We Met- and Anurag Kashyap launched a poster contest for No Smoking. Both films release on October 26, in the heart of the festive season.
Even before Saawariya and OSO fight it out at the box-office, both have signed a spree of marketing deals, from merchandising to branding. “It’s the way of the future,” says Sooraj Bhalla, director, creative and content, Mates, which planned the association with Shopper’s Stop and OSO. “Indian films are looking at merchandising in a big way.” Internationally, of course, big films from James Bond to Harry Potter and Spiderman have always had associations with a lot of brands. “In India, brands are also looking at films quite seriously because films grab a lot of eyeballs, especially in the festival season,” adds Bhalla.
Market is ready for Saawariya bed, bath and linen products and Om Shanti Om (OSO) clothes. As Bollywood gears up for the festive season with two big-ticket releases, producers are going the whole hog and more to “spread the word about the films” so that they sizzle at the box-office and beyond. So, we began seeing promos on TV and posters on buses for both these films right from August though both films are set to release on November 9. A blue-tinted poster of Saawariya, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali which will see the launch of two star kids Ranbir and Sonam Kapoor, is up at the Regal cinema in Mumbai.
And both Saawariya and OSO have tied up with the Future Group and Shopper’s Stop respectively to launch a special range of merchandise. “Every year, producers are doing a little more to promote their films, especially in the festive period. “This quarter is the biggest for the industry and everyone pulls out all stops to ensure they have a hit on their hands.” In fact, of the five big releases everyone’ spurting their money on - Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Saawariya, OSO and Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan’s home production which is set to release during the Christmas holidays (December 21) - Sampat feels one will go on to become the biggest grosser of the year.
At multiplexes, the turnout is always heavier during the festival season and if the film is good, a good collection is assured.Bollywood typically launches two big movies during Diwali. If last year, it was Don and Jaan-e- Maan, in 2005 it was Garam Masala and Shaadi No. 1. This year, Eros International, which has bagged the distribution rights for OSO, is releasing an unprecedented 2,000 prints of the film worldwide. “It’s always good to release a film in the festival season.
Everyone wants to go out with the family and have a good time,” admits Siddharth Roy Kapur, executive VP, marketing, distribution & syndication, UTV Motion Pictures, which is releasing the John Abraham-starrer Goal on November 23. UTV too has already launched a campaign to promote the film, including a tie up with famous UK football club Manchester United which will ensure that two lucky winners of the Goal contest will get to watch a Manchester United match in person.
This is the first large-scale film on the game and we are fanning out to cities and towns to promote the film.
Producers are opting for new ways of promotion too. For instance, Aamir Khan premiered the first look at Taare Zameen Par on the film’s website, ahead of the launch of the promos in cinema halls on Friday. Director Imtiaz Ali asked the audience to choose the name of his next film - the Shahid-Kareena Kapoor-starrer Jab We Met- and Anurag Kashyap launched a poster contest for No Smoking. Both films release on October 26, in the heart of the festive season.
Even before Saawariya and OSO fight it out at the box-office, both have signed a spree of marketing deals, from merchandising to branding. “It’s the way of the future,” says Sooraj Bhalla, director, creative and content, Mates, which planned the association with Shopper’s Stop and OSO. “Indian films are looking at merchandising in a big way.” Internationally, of course, big films from James Bond to Harry Potter and Spiderman have always had associations with a lot of brands. “In India, brands are also looking at films quite seriously because films grab a lot of eyeballs, especially in the festival season,” adds Bhalla.