The Art of the Publicity Stunt

Link-ups, break-ups, patch-ups, punch-ups; Bollywood, it seems, doesn’t miss a thing… or does it? The well-known phrase “Don’t believe everything you read” takes on a whole new meaning with the popularity of the Internet as a prime news portal. However, it’s one thing being apprehensive about what the websites might say but it’s a different kettle of fish when one witnesses the news unravelling themselves in front of their own eyes… right?

A mutual Facebook friend of Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra revealed not so long ago that the two have been exchanging flirty messages on the popular social networking site in full view of their accepted buddies. It was disclosed that the two had formed a strong bond while filming their forthcoming movie Kaminey and have increasingly started spending more time with another. Chopra, who normally keeps relationships under wraps, recently split with Hrithik look-a-like Harman Baweja, just before the release of his second movie, Victory, in January 2009. At the time, it was rumoured that Baweja’s co-star Amrita Rao was to blame for the break-up.

Apparently Baweja was besotted with Rao and made no secret about it despite his involvement with Chopra… does it not sound a little far-fetched? How much of it is really accurate?

Given that the Baweja-Chopra association was only acknowledged by Chopra after the announcement of their break-up, does it add insult to injury to ponder whether the exploitation of audience hype is at the root of such incidents? Both link-ups in the example surround the films in question. The link-up of Rao-Baweja was conveniently revealed before the release of their film Victory. This is much the same for the Chopra-Kapur involvement which not-so-coincidentally came prior to the public unveiling of flick Kaminey. Are the audiences and the media merely being used by celebrities and film-makers to make the most of the limelight a film receives before its release?

It seems audiences and fans fall prey to rumours and stories reported in the media on a regular basis. In turn the media strives to give any sort of coverage to a brand, whether that is a movie or a celebrity associated with it. Why? Well, it seems the “agreement” between the media, the filmmakers and the celebrities is mutual. As long as the hype or coverage is timely and comes across with even an ounce of integrity, it can do wonders for the box office figures of any given film.

In recent years, audiences may or may not be aware of deliberate publicity stunts carried out by members of the film fraternity to promote a film or endorsement. In keeping with the “love-square”, it’s true to assume that the most popular way of creating hype for a film is by linking two stars who are part of it. Although a handful of these love stories do have truth in them, the rumours seem to gather ammunition when falling fittingly before the release of a relevant film. However, this is not the be-all-and-end-all of the advertising bandwagon.

Aamir Khan is notorious for personally marketing his films. One of his antics during the promotion of Ghajini was ensuring that the ushers in the major multiplex cinema halls in India were sporting his trademark hairstyle. Khan also turned barber by setting up shop in heart of New Delhi to personally give fans the famous buzz cut.

Similarly, Abhishek Bahchan and Rani Mukerjee also looked for a different technique to promote Bunty Aur Babli before its release in 2005. They made use of MTV India’s popular wind-up show “Bakra” to play practical jokes on unsuspecting members of the public. The broadcast of the show tied in well with the release of the film in which both actors play con-artists.

Film promotion in Indian cinema has finally come of age. Innovative technologies can contribute heavily to different avenues for endorsements. It seems producers are more than willing to fork out a more than healthy sum for the endorsement of a film as a brand. Actors are also becoming market savvy by using fresh methods to outdo the competition, more so when there are clashing release dates. However, many a time, audiences have witnessed the media-hype being misplaced and disappointment can prove greater than just your average unsuccessful film. It’s proving increasingly important that the viewers become more vigilant about advertising antics. The filmmakers are gradually becoming pros at pushing the right buttons to achieve better audience figures which could help establish more ways of audience manipulation.

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