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Feeling the pulse of the audience

Marketing techniques
Last Updated 13 December 2011, 13:37 IST
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Actor Dhanush’s song Kolaveri Di has taken the concept of marketing a movie even before its release to a whole new level.

Even Santosh Pandit, a Malayalam film-maker, recently shot to fame when he released the songs and promos of his first film, Krishnanum Radhayum, on YouTube. Though the songs lacked quality, they became a rage on the internet. So much so that when he actually released the film in theatres, it broke all box-office records.

These incidents have caught the attention of film-makers in the City and many feel that this new technique of marketing has its own pros and cons when applied to the Kannada film audience.

Director Prashanth Raj, who has often made films keeping the youth in mind, says that as a film-maker, one has to be on his or her toes constantly to feel the pulse of the young. “You never know what will work and what won’t. It’s really nice to see that finally regional film songs are crossing borders and making headlines at the national level,” he adds.

If funny lyrics and a catchy tune was the USP of Kolaveri Di, Nagendra Prasad, a popular lyricist and film-maker, says that there have been many such songs in Kannada itself. “It’s more like old wine in a new bottle. Ask anyone and they will remember Hamsalekha’s hit song ‘Come On Darling’ and even Gurukiran-Upendra number MTV Subbalakshmige,” he says.

But the use of the internet among the Kannada film audience is very limited, says Nagendra. “We have to think of the larger picture. Hardly ten to 20 per cent of the audience actually go online to watch videos. The remaining either watch television or read printed material about promotional activities. So I don’t think that internet is popular among the audience out here,” he adds.

When Hemanth Hegde wanted to build a Charlie Chaplin statute to promote his film ‘Houseful’, he was criticised by the media and the film industry.

“Trying new marketing techniques is very risky because you never know when it can backfire. I feel the Kannada film industry needs a makeover if we need to compete with English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films.

Bangalore is a cosmopolitan city and Kannadigas, by nature, are cosmopolitan. They don’t mind watching films in other languages and expect the same high standards in Kannada films too,” he adds.

Coming from a completely different school of thought, director Jacob Verghese, who is known for films like Savaari and Prithvi, feels that promotions are important but one should not stoop down to such levels. “But I’m afraid that with these new trends, people may soon do their promotional activities first and then start shooting for the film. If so, the joy of film making is ruined,” he says.

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(Published 13 December 2011, 13:37 IST)

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