Whenever a big film is up for release, the makers go on a promotional blitzkrieg. While it may work for some films, the audience doesn’t seem to be too charmed by the current promotional strategy being applied for Imtiaz Ali’s next, Tamasha.
The lead pair of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone has already generated their fair share of buzz right from day one due to their history, but not worthy enough for a big-budget film. Probably, that’s why, to salvage matters, Ranbir and Deepika, these days, are seen all over the place — hugging, dancing, going gaga over each other in interviews, etc. So much so that social media has been abuzz with stories of their “forced” camaraderie.
Celebrity manager Amber Qureshi says, “Today, the audience is more aware of the equation that actors share. You can’t fake your relationship for the shutterbugs anymore. Trying to promote Tamasha based on Ranbir and Deepika’s past is sort of backfiring. Instead, they should’ve promoted it as an Imtiaz Ali film with good content, great music and amazing locations. Keeping it real and personally connecting with fans would have worked.”
While many agree with Amber’s point, the film industry feels it’s necessary to create such gimmicks to sell a film.
Scriptwriter Juhi Chaturvedi says, “The audience on social media is quite small compared to the general public. A regular moviegoer is not into intellectualisation. They love it when they see the two giggling, holding hands, laughing… For a massy film like Tamasha, it’s necessary to pull in the crowd. People are interested in what’s going on because after Tamasha, Deepika will be seen promoting Bajirao Mastani with Ranveer Singh. It becomes a fantastic talking point.”
Image guru Dilip Cherian adds, “It’s a time-tested tactic because the Indian audience likes to believe that the screen sizzle between the two actors is the result of a private frisson. So makers try to push for this during promos even though it may lead to complications as to how the media will report it. So it’s a classic case of ‘Any publicity is good’.”
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