-
Want a Bollywood blockbuster? Generate some controversy!
The new ‘hit’ formula in Bollywood is creating controversy just before a film’s release
Radhika Bhirani (IANS)
It seems that controversy spells free publicity in B-wood, where movies like “Billu”, “My Name Is Khan” and “Aarakshan” hit the headlines even before their release. And though this may or may not guarantee success, it definitely helps the movie generate a lot of hype.
The most recent case is, of course, Prakash Jha’s “Aarakshan”, which remained in the news consistently before its release on August 12. Based on the sensitive issue of caste-based quotas in the Indian educational system, some groups feared that the movie glorified anti-Dalit comments. They demanded a special screening, with Jha and his cast being refused permission to stage a promotional event in Lucknow, among other things. States like Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab banned its release, but subsequently lifted the ban. However, the movie managed to mint 58.5 crore worldwide in its opening weekend! And people who had not planned to watch the movie like Bhavna Mishra, 24, went ahead. “I wasn’t keen on watching “Aarakshan”. But there was so much about it in the papers and on the TV all the time, that it ignited interest. We wanted to see the movie just to know what the hype was all about,” says she. Jha’s “Raajneeti” too faced opposition for a twisted version of the Indian national anthem and for allegedly depicting Congress president Sonia Gandhi through actress Katrina Kaif’s character.
Then there was “Billu”, starring Irrfan Khan. The Hairdressers’ Association of Mumbai objected to the use of the word ‘barber’ in the title, so it was changed from “Billu Barber” to just “Billu.” “Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai”, said to be loosely based on the lives of underworld dons Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim, faced issues when Mastan’s children wanted a stay on the release of the film. In 2006, the Aamir Khanstarrer “Fanaa” faced a ban in Gujarat following his anti-Narmada project statements.
Karan Johar’s “My Name Is Khan” was facing the threat of a ban in Mumbai when Shiv Sena activists took offence against Shah Rukh Khan’s comments regarding the exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL). The film went on to rake in around
250 million worldwide on its opening day.
Trade analyst Vinod Mirani says that “controversies almost never help a film run if it has no merit. Sure, it gets a film some publicity, but it is not necessarily positive in all cases. People won’t have chosen to watch “Aarakshan” if they had not known that it is based on such a dry subject. There is “Not A Love Story”, based on a controversial subject, but the audience has not taken to the film. ‘Billu’ was another case.” But, didn’t someone say any publicity is good publicity?
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repos.../Pc0260900.jpg
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repos.../Pc0260700.jpg
(Clockwise from top left) ‘My Name Is Khan’, ‘Raajneeti’, ‘Billu’ and ‘Aarakshan’ all created controversy before release
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Defau...ents/empty.gif
-
[bIMG]http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/6286/vvvcl.png[/bIMG]
-
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kolkata Knight Rider
:wub: ...............
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
breakingviews
Quote:
Originally Posted by
breakingviews
\\:d/\\:d/\\:d/\\:d/\\:d/
-
-
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0rtINQPpYY&feature=player_embedded]The Dirty Picture - Theatrical Trailer - YouTube[/ame]
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kolkata Knight Rider
http://a2.twimg.com/profile_images/2...me1_normal.jpg
RajeevMasand Rajeev Masand
The Dirty Picture trailer - Icing on the cake the Bappi Lahiri track by Vishal-Shekhar. Killer!
Best trailer I've seen in months - The Dirty Picture. The 80s feel, the dialogue, Vidya gone bold... THIS is the film I can't wait to watch!
-
Raja Sen in Mumbai about Dirty Picture Trailer
Holy cleavage, Batman! If there was any doubt that Milan Luthria's upcoming Silk Smitha biopic was an unabashed celebration of decotellage, well, prepare to goggle. Vidya Balan shows off her, um, 'girls' with immense flair in this retro trailer, one that definitely captures attention.
Emraan Hashmi calls women rainbow-like as Balan exhales smoke and is surrounded by a throng as the music BappiLahiristically ah-ahs.
Naseeruddin Shah, rocking a pencil moustache, is introduced as a particularly sleazy admirer, while Vidya continues dhak-dhakking her way through various cheesy but bosomy scenarios.
Tushhar Kapoor, hiding behind a Burt Reynolds moustache, also falls for Silk, but is clearly out of his depth as he looks to have swallowed his tongue.
And then we see Hashmi, looking like he stepped out of Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, looking at Balan appraisingly, apparently "the man who hated her."
Then comes more oomph: Balan in purple sizzling against a blackboard, rolling in green filmi grounds with Naseer, making out in a car, raising a foam-covered leg from a bathtub to pose for an excited photographer, and finally letting Naseer unravel a wet scarlet sari with the December 2 date superimposed on it.
It's a simple, fun trailer but Balan looks jawdropping enough to make sure we remember the release date very well indeed.
-
