Don music creates waves in the UK

MUMBAI: The music of one of the most awaited films of the year – Farhan Akhtar’s Don has captured the imagination of the Indian diaspora in the UK.

Speaking exclusively to Businessofcinema.com about the success of the soundtrack in the UK, UTV business and marketing head for the UK and Ireland Tanuj Garg says, “The soundtrack of Don has reached the number one position in the country within a fortnight of the audio launch. There is a high buzz on the film. It is No. 1 on all the leading radio stations in the UK. With a package comprising Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Aktar and Ritesh Sidhwani, it is little surprise that Don is a much-awaited release of the festival season this October.”

In the UK, UTV’s International Distribution Division headed by Ashoka Holla, has tied up with several radio and television channels in order to promote the movie and create substantial hype around it. “We have some innovative television, brand and radio tie-ups in place to promote the film in the UK, all of which will be revealed shortly. The one that has been announced is our special programming arrangement with the Leicester-based Sabras Radio,” Garg informs. “My colleagues, who look at the US and UAE markets have also been working on a number of mould-breaking initiatives to push the film,” he adds.

All radio stations in the UK were given exclusive bits of the tracks to play even before the audio release of the film, which pushed up the music sales.

The ‘Yeh Mera Dil’ and ‘Main Hoon Don’ songs are on high rotation currently on the music channels and the ‘Khaike Paan Banaras Waala’ number has been scheduled to go on air overseas from early next week.

The music of the film on T-Series has been given by Shankar-Ehshaan-Loy with guest tracks by DJ Randolph and Midival Punditz. What’s more, the songs from Don have become one of the top three most downloaded songs in the world through the new age retail platform of digital music downloads.