MUMBAI: In this day and age, of almost viral film marketing and promotions, it is quite surprising to see Aamir Khan not going the whole hog, where his upcoming film ‘Talaash’ is concerned.
The maverick marketeer, as Aamir is sometimes known, sure has an ace up his sleeve. With under publicizing his upcoming suspense thriller film, he has not only managed to generate more buzz than was expected, but he has also simultaneously maintained the aura of mystique surrounding the film. For such a plot-line perhaps he was wary of revealing too much by way of TV promos and trailers.
However, going by his previous films’ promotional campaigns, which were extremely aggressive, where one could see Aamir going all out for those films, this new ploy seems out of step. After all, the marketing maverick pulled out all stops to ensure that we immediately associated 8-pack abs and that buzz haircut with ‘Ghajini’, and Aamir’s several incognito looks with ‘3 Idiots’.
So, despite the under-publicized “soft promotions” for ‘Talaash’, the buzz is inversely disproportionate. This, however, could well be the desired effect Aamir and the ‘Talaash’ team was hoping for.
Co-star Kareena Kapoor seems to have the answer. “Aamir has a different strategy — of not over-publicising the film for it loses its importance. I feel films are being publicised too much these days and it makes actors come across like monkeys, shouting, screaming and dancing at malls.”
Looks like the genius Khan has done it again. Despite being under-promoted, ‘Talaash’ is still being touted as one of the most awaited films of 2012. This in part due to Aamir’s return to celluloid after a hiatus of three years (his last release was ‘3 Idiots’), and also due to the fact that ‘Talaash’ sees Aamir romance two beautiful ladies in the film, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor Khan.
Add to that the spice of alleged real-life incidents (‘Talaash’ is supposedly based, in parts, on the Aarushi murder case), and Aamir has a real winner on his hands – promotions or no promotions.
With the buzz reaching a crescendo, and the film merely days away from a release, the advance bookings for the film have justified the marketing strategy. The advance bookings had opened when the film’s release was a 100 days away, and this seems to have paid off.
Reveals an inside source, ”Never before has this happened for any Bollywood film but perhaps this is Aamir’s way of making an announcement quite loud and clear. At many multiplexes across major centres in the country, the film’s advance booking has already opened for November 30. While patrons were in for a surprise when they realized that they could book tickets for ‘Talaash’ well in advance, it is also a way for producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani to gauge audience curiosity much in advance.”
We let Aamir Khan have the last word on this. The actor claims he is unpredictable, and himself can’t put his finger on the dynamic of an ‘Aamir Khan release’. “I am a very unpredictable commodity. There is no particular dynamic for me. That has also been my strength. The fact that people can’t predict how much business my film is going to do, or what grounds it will break, is exciting. Even I cannot predict what my film is going to do.”
Tha actor further adds, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, “Experiencing the unknown has a certain charm to it.” Indeed, it does. And this experience of the unknown is a clever, well-thought out strategy that seems to have paid off for the actor and his latest film.
Talaash stars Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor Khan. The film is directed by Reema Kagti and is all set to hit theatres on November 30th, 2012.
