Now, no Friday jitters for Bollywood

Mumbai: Commercial success for Bollywood has been unprecedented this year and the secret behind the box office success lies not with the content but in marketing.

Don released this weekend with more than 800 prints and on record 340 screens across 28 countries. The film is the highest ever print release for a Bollywood film in the overseas market.

This is a new strategy used by Bollywood to ensure that no stone is left unturned to get that extra viewer to the theatres.

“We can’t go crystal ball gazing as far as movies are concerned. Our approach is right, the marketing strategy and the number of prints are also right. After that is the content, which in itself is very good so it should deliver,” overseas distributor of Don, Ronnie Screwvala said.

Bollywood has never had it as good as this year. Most films have made profits and a lot of it has to do with marketing the product right.

So, Rang de Basanti had Coca-Cola designing a Piyo sir utha ke campaign around the film and releasing a special edition bottle.

Hritik Roshan-starrer Krrish made a lot of moolah even before it sold a single ticket. Made on a budget of Rs 30 crore, the film tied up with a mobile service provider which enabled movie buffs to download film clips and songs, then associated itself with a jewellery brand and tied-in with an apparel brand for exclusive film merchandise.

Now, the next big budget film Babul will see a tie-up with an insurance company, a foreign car and three consumer products.

"The biggest of the films never the take the risk of investing less in the marketing of products because one simply cannot take chances," Business Director, BR Films, Sanjay Bhutiani said.

Films in 2006 have also benefited from creating the right kind of hype just before the film's release. Producer-director Mahesh Bhatt leaked the Parveen Babi tapes before the release of his film Woh Lamhe and managed to draw in a modest initial.

Most of Bhatt's films produced on shoe-string budgets of Rs 3 to 5 crore, manage to break even thanks to astronomical music sales, ringtone rights and the sale of VCDs and DVDs.

"We have taken to the Chinese formula – 100 per cent efficiency, 100 per cent quality and low cost," producer Mukesh Bhatt said.

Yashraj Films, who took merchandising to a whole new level in Bollywood with Fanaa at the beginning of the year, have similar plans for their November release Dhoom 2.

So, looks like the make or break Friday scenario will no longer worry film producers with astute marketing skills. However, the most sure shot way of ensuring profits remains the classic formula – make a good film, if only one could count on that.

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