How can you find out when a major Bollywood film is coming out? You’ll start to feel like the film’s lead actors are following you about 20 days before the premiere. They’re on the front pages of newspapers, they’re on social media calling you to dance challenges, they’re smiling down at you from billboards, and they’re executing the same hook step on every reality program. This step will most likely come from a remixed song that isn’t in the movie but exists only for promotional purposes. Actors can also be found at athletic events, colleges, retail malls, and other venues. It’s the same old routine in each film.
It’s obvious to see how a celebrity’s presence could benefit a TV show or event, but is it truly dialing back to the film? Will the theatre see a boost in attendance since the players were on Kapil Sharma’s popular TV show or Dance Plus? Is it necessary for every film to do the same thing?
Paid Review/artificial wom:
Paid reviews trend is quickly taking on in the Hindi film industry, with producers trying to generate hype hours before a film’s premiere. Paid previews are special screenings arranged for a select set of critics who are paid an extra fee to see films a day before they are released and talk positive about it.
However, in the age of the Internet and networking, not everyone is willing to take the risk of releasing a film a day early and exposing it to early criticism. Hence, this is the latest practice in bringing a movie to the top: paid reviews, positive words are paid, the IMDB rating is enhanced, and the audience is fooled.
IMDB Rating:
Using IMDb and other rating sites to push a political agenda is a dangerous and disturbing practice. There is no way of knowing if the crowd actually enjoyed or disliked the movie, or if they were all politically motivated.
We’ll never know whether these ratings are legitimately given by the audience or if the film’s production is attempting to change them to deceive the public. They’re also extremely simple to control.
Success Parties:
Even if the box office results aren’t up to pace, success parties are thrown, confusing audiences into going to see the film so they don’t feel left out.
Blackmailing media with Actor interviews:
Another aspect worth mentioning is how the team of every impending film haggles with critics, transforming the give-and-take into a big celebrity interview by exchanging favorable words about the film and thus deceiving the audience once more.
The destiny of a film rests on its opening Friday, and panicked producers are doing everything they can to attract your attention, because who knows what might work.
