*I sorta-kinda knew about this, but having read this article, I now have a far more coherent understanding of the industry's modern dynamics.
Not really a listicle, just sounds like one
by Shreemi Verma
Marketing a Bollywood movie is now a full-fledged industry by itself. Huge budgets are set aside for movie promotions, with superstars taking train journeys, international actors doing the lungi dance and actors agreeing to click thousands of selfies with ‘dog filters’ to look cute and approachable to the audience.
Sometime ago, comedy collective All India Bakchod had made a spoof on the various strategies media agencies are now making for their movie to get visibility. It was so spot on. There’s a ‘first look’, then the ‘first poster’, then the ‘first motion poster’, then a ‘teaser’, a ‘teaser trailer’, a ‘trailer’, a ‘second trailer’, a ‘special song’ (which is usually not a part of the movie), a ‘mash-up of all the songs’ and finally, the movie.
Now if you read closely there are at least 9 ‘events’ that are now mandatory before a film releases. Hashtags are created, hotel banquets or screening rooms are booked, snacks are decided, and the media is invited. Apart from traditional journalists, there are people with ‘social media presence’ who are called to make the launch ‘trend’.
Being a Bollywood journalist, my life is about attending these events and well, having fun. This week hasn’t even ended and I’ve already been to two trailer launches….
