UTV confident about ‘Tamasha’ despite crowded movie market
UTV brings 'Tamasha' to theatres this Friday in the middle of what seems like a pretty crowded film business market. But UTV doesn't see it as a concern
New Delhi: UTV Motion Pictures brings director Imtiaz Ali’s romantic drama Tamasha to theatres this Friday in the middle of what seems like a pretty crowded film business market. Sooraj Barjatya’s Diwali blockbuster, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, neared the ₹ 200 crore mark by its second weekend and is still going strong. Meanwhile, all eyes are now on the big Bollywood clash happening for Christmas with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Bajirao Mastani and Rohit Shetty’s Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dilwale.
But UTV doesn’t see it as a concern. “There are 52 weeks a year and so many films releasing each week in India. October-December is always a good, festive time in the country and it’s also Thanksgiving week in places like North America. There will always be films releasing before and after yours," said Amrita Pandey, vice-president and head of marketing and distribution studios at The Walt Disney Co. India. She said there is no big film releasing along with theirs.
Pandey referred to the Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone-starrer as a tent-pole, event film that fit well with the UTV brand. “From leading our lives playing certain defined roles to the career versus passion debate, the film has a lot of interesting topics being spoken about in an interesting way. Just like Kai Po Che or Rang De Basanti," said Pandey.
UTV’s earlier releases this year, romantic comedy Katti Batti and action thriller Phantom, with collections of ₹ 24 crore and ₹ 54 crore, respectively, didn’t exactly live up to expectations.
Tamasha, which trade experts estimate to have cost around ₹ 35 crore, has been targeted at both family audiences as well as the youth. It brings Kapoor and Padukone together after the massive success of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (which earned more than ₹ 180 crore, according to Bollywood Hungama) and director Ali with UTV after his last outing Highway. It is also the last of the five-film deal the studio made with producer Sajid Nadiadwala. Their last four collaborations were 2 States, Highway, Heropanti and Kick. Trade sources estimate the deal was closed at nearly ₹ 175 crore.
The underlying theme of the Tamasha promotional campaign was to leverage the lead pair, A.R Rahman’s music score and the director, whose work generates a lot of interest, said Pandey. Capitalizing on festivals like Diwali, the team travelled to Delhi to celebrate and interact with the audience. On Children’s Day, an activation called Chhota Tamasha was carried out, which involved releasing a poster of the film created out of childhood images of Kapoor and Padukone. To tap the youth, through the ‘Tamasha Chemistry Meter’ event, the lead pair judged couples based on their chemistry at a contest held in Mumbai. The team also took a train trip from Mumbai to Delhi earlier this week, halting at smaller towns like Baroda, Kota and Chandigarh, ensuring regional coverage.
Brand associations include life insurance company Bharti Axa, online shopping portal Limeroad and telecom and digital service provider Reliance Jio.
Padukone has also been in the news for her high-profile period drama Bajirao Mastani, slated for release later next month. But her several media appearances do not worry UTV. “We’d be concerned if the two films didn’t look different visually. But there isn’t a problem with two back-to-back releases if there is a clear demarcation between them," said Pandey.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan said Padukone’s charm is unlikely to be affected by the two disparate films. “She has a huge fan base," he said. “Probably bigger than Ranbir Kapoor at the moment."
Tamasha will see a targeted release in about 1,200-1,300 screens in multiplexes and metro cities and will not be released on the UFO cinema distribution and advertising platform that caters to single screens. Each single screen property can cost ₹ 22,000-35,000 for 28 shows per week.
Mohan admits the film has been able to create the buzz required considering it comes between two big-ticket film weekends and the team hasn’t planned a vast and aggressive release. “They’ve adopted a cost-effective strategy either because they’re confident of their product and its shelf life. Or they might not want to incur additional expenditure on a film that has a modest cost in the first place," he said, adding that the both the lead pair and director have a strong following. Plus, the music is already topping the charts and as producers, Nadiadwala Grandson Pvt. Ltd has a great track record.
“Yes, it’s a busy time in the market. But we’re making a strong proposition," Pandey said.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!