Word Of Mouth Matters

It travels faster than any other medium, comes free of charge, and has no barriers. That’s the power word-of-mouth holds. Now, this medium is bringing smiles to the faces of film industry-wallahs, who otherwise spend crores to promote their films. Recently, when filmmaker Kabir Khan, known for blockbusters like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Ek Tha Tiger, said the Chandu Champion team is happy with the way the film is “growing” and the “incredible” word-of-mouth it is receiving, it just highlighted the power this medium holds. Chandu Champion, riding on positive word-of-mouth, saw a 42.11% jump on the second day and collected `6.75 crore, according to rough data.

Recently, actress Vidya Balan pointed out how films no longer work based on promotion, and it is only word-of-mouth that makes or mars a movie. Even Vijay Sethupathi’s new film, Maharaja, directed by Nithilan Swaminathan, experienced a significant boost in box office earnings on its second day due to positive word-of-mouth.

Audience is the king

Bollywood commentator Balaji Vittal cites the blockbuster movie, Sholay as an example. “There was so much hype about promotions for the film that it should have gotten off to a rocking start, but it didn’t. It took a wonderful couple of weeks for people to say, my God, what a movie this is,” he says. He says glitzy and glamorous movie launches ensure that the first two or three shows, or maybe even the first two days, go off well. “But when the first reviews come out and when word of mouth spreads, that’s what determines the long-term fate of the film,” says Vittal, who is also a writer, author, and columnist.

Citing another example, Vittal says Ram Balram had a tremendous opening, but then it fell flat because people came out of the hall and said they did not expect this from director Vijay Anand.

“After completion, the movie succumbed to a natural death within a matter of weeks.” In contrast, films such as Jai Santoshima and Jaane bhi do Yaaro received minimal promotion and publicity. And word of mouth caught on, and the movies became super hits,” he says. Ultimately, he says, the audience is the king. “People look for those word-of-mouth endorsements and reviews. The initial hype may give you the first few shows, but nothing really beyond that,” points out Vittal.

Money vs People’s Voice

According to actor Nikhil Siddhartha, Karthikeya 2 was successful throughout the country by word-of-mouth. “Even an amazing trailer can only attract a morning show audience, but once the movie hits theatres, word-of-mouth becomes crucial, even in this era of social media. When a person comes out and says the movie is good, it spreads like wildfire.” What was the case with Karthikeya, whose popularity soared across India? “In North India, no one knew me, but the moment the movie hit Hindi screens, it soared in revenue and became a massive blockbuster. Even if you spend crores and hundreds of crores on promotion, it’s always important to make a very good film. That’s where the concentration needs to be; it always works. Munjya, a recently released Hindi film, began with minimal resources and subsequently achieved significant financial success. This trend will be there forever, no matter how much technology improves,” adds Nikhil.

Filmmaker Anand Kamalakar, who recently had his film Colonel Kalsi premiere at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), believes that traditional media and hoardings no longer effectively promote films. “In the social media world, word of mouth is everything. You cannot underestimate your audience’s intelligence,” he says.

Movie Hit Mantra

Bhawana Somaaya, a film journalist, critic, author, and historian, feels that after COVID, nobody wants to make an effort to visit the cinema halls. “They prefer to wait and watch it on television at home. Chandu Champion is director Kabir Khan and actor Kartik Aryan’s best film so far,” says Bhawana, who describes the film “for all decades and seasons.” “In my opinion, we must stop analysing what clicked and why and start celebrating what touches our hearts, irrespective of its box-office fare. 83 was an enriching film with a super sensitive performance from Ranveer Singh, but did we give the film its due credit?” she asks.

Actor Vishal Krishna Reddy feels exceptions cannot be examples. “It only works for a few films at a time.” However, generally, if a film doesn’t perform well in the first three days, regardless of its quality, the timing is altered on the fourth day. In multiplexes and other venues, the film does not have a run during the second week. Therefore, any positive word of mouth that small films receive doesn’t necessarily contribute to their success. Only a handful of films will succeed, unless they significantly surpass the audience’s expectations,” says Vishal.

Word-of-Mouth Hits    

Some movies that benefitted from word-of-mouth publicity include Sholay, Ram Balram, Maharaja, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Karthikeya 2, Ek Tha Tiger and Chandu Champion to name a few

“But when the first reviews come out and when word of mouth spreads, that’s what determines the long-term fate of the film.” — Balaji Vittal, Bollywood commentator

The mood of the moment is important, and the audience determines that.” — Bhawana Somaaya, film journalist, critic, author, & historian

“Karthikeya 2 was successful throughout the country by word of mouth. I firmly believe that the impact of promotions and posters is insignificant.” — Nikhil Siddhartha, actor