The film advertising and marketing mania – The Hindu

Actor Kamal Haasan and director Mani Ratnam throughout a press convention for his or her upcoming movie ‘Thug Life’, in Chennai.
| Picture Credit score: ANI

I met Kamal Haasan for an interview final Friday in Chennai for his much-awaited film, Thug Life. The following day, he was at Sri Sai Ram School together with all the staff for the movie’s audio launch. On Sunday, he was current on the finals of a preferred musical actuality contest, Vijay’s Tremendous Singer Junior 10. In between these two huge music occasions, I made a decision to look at an IPL match. Positive sufficient, Mr. Haasan was there on TV too, at a particular programme hosted by Star Sports activities Tamil that includes the Thug Life staff.

“I get pleasure from speaking. It’s a studying expertise for me, as a result of solely once I discuss, individuals get a possibility to appropriate me,” he advised me, once I identified his hectic journey schedule for the movie’s promotions.

It’s onerous to flee the movie and its staff, as Thug Life’s PR recreation has been on an overdrive in the previous few weeks. I’m positive even die-hard followers of Mani Ratnam and Mr. Haasan are bored with it. On the similar time, it is usually heartening to look at a 70-year-old Haasan croon previous melodies with a bit lady, or shake a leg to a fast-paced quantity on stage.

The world has modified rather a lot during the last 20 years once I started as a rookie reporter. I keep in mind attending the launch of Mr. Haasan’s Mumbai Xpress. The invite to the occasion was quirky: it was printed on a pretend ₹500 forex word. The title learn ‘Raajkamal Financial institution of India’ — a reference to each the Reserve Financial institution of India and his manufacturing home, Raajkamal Productions. The road under mentioned: ‘I promise leisure for all the household’.

Earlier than the age of cell phones and social media, details about a movie or album was scarce, so film-makers went all out to market their movies in individual. Some adopted conventional methods of selling their movies, equivalent to by newspaper ads, whereas some had been others had been extra revolutionary.

Promotional materials was once a collector’s delight. Cassettes within the Nineties gave us a fast peek into what to anticipate: the audio cassette of Shankar’s Denims, with music by A.R. Rahman, was packed in denim in 1998. I keep in mind strolling right into a neighbourhood store to purchase a particular version audio cassette of Laysa Laysa in 2003. Priced at ₹10 at a time when cassettes price round ₹50, it had simply two variations of the title tune in its Aspect A and Aspect B, serving as a curtain-raiser for the album composed by Harris Jayaraj. In distinction, right this moment’s audio invitations arrive as WhatsApp notifications.

Over time, promotions turned increasingly more geared in direction of grabbing eyeballs. I keep in mind the excitement surrounding the launch of Madraspattinam in 2010 — the invite featured previous maps of Madras and previous forex, and the venue of the occasion, Chennai Commerce Centre, was remodeled into the Madras of the Nineteen Forties, replete with troopers and other people marching alongside shouting slogans.

Actors too have numerous promotion types. Whereas Rajinikanth didn’t personally promote Kabali, the 2016 movie was a large hit by way of promotions. Mr. Rajinikanth’s face was all over the place, from billboards to plane. Parthiban has at all times been probably the most wacky. Attendees to his Iravin Nizhal audio launch in 2022 had been greeted with a mouth organ, whereas the invite to Teenz (2024) got here with a big ruler and pen. Then again, actors equivalent to Ajith and Nayanthara keep away from promotions.

Immediately’s launches are geared toward digital audiences. ‘Singles’ and ‘hook steps’ rule the roost. Not like earlier, individuals sadly seldom look ahead to a whole album with songs in several genres to drop. Songs themselves are chopped up in movies given our dwindling consideration spans. The aim appears to be to provide you with a catchy line and a particular dance that can go ‘viral’ on Instagram. A lot in order that the staff of Thug Life had a ‘Thugfluencers’ occasion in Chennai just lately, and reels of Mr. Haasan flooded Instagram feeds. Is there anywhere the place Kamal Haasan, aka Vinveli Nayagan (Area Hero), is just not current?

srinivasa.r@thehindu.co.in