Don’t make the mistake of judging a movie by its glittering marketing and promotions it’ll only rob you off your money, time and energy. The upcoming adult-comedy ‘Grand Masti’, which is a sequel to the surprise hit ‘Masti’, has taken promotions to an all new level. Forget video games and telly appearances, the makers have gone a step further by launching a book on the movie! Just when we thought watching the movie was bad enough, we have a book coming out on it too…what’s the purpose of this godforsaken book? Nobody really knows. It’s not like it’s an epic movie that needs to have a book version.
While in the olden days movies got the much needed promotion via its own means and with a little help from the stars, today it’s all about fancy games, high-end Apps, regular TV and outdoor visits, convenient controversies and PR machinery-overdose. Why is the content of any movie a mere prop in the glossy world of marketing? The plot of the movie plays second fiddle to advertising, by virtue of which, even a crappy movie gets a decent opening.
Movies that don’t indulge in excessive promotional strategies fail to set the screens ablaze (yes, we are referring to the intelligent and taut thriller Madras Cafe), while those who go all out and practically dance naked on the streets so that their movies get the much required attention (Chennai Express, we are pointing at you) become smashing hits. It’s really sad to note that the former is a better movie and should have been watched by the public than the stereotypical disaster called Chennai Express (Rs 300 crore, really?!)
If the producers don’t have the means to make a game or launch a clothes line on their movies, the easiest thing to do is to link up the co-stars. Gossip-hungry public will most definitely lap up news about actors having affairs on the sets and watch the movie expecting some crackling chemistry. It’s no wonder that the ‘on-my-god-so-much-in-love’ couple breaks up after the movie has hit the screens. Damn.
When will we start peeling off the outer layer and start appreciating what’s inside? Presentation has to be appealing, sure…but what about the core product? Doesn’t it need to be of some value? The next time a movie goes overboard with its promotions, give it a royal miss. Because those who aren’t sure of their product resort to such antics to camouflage their inadequacies!
