“Rok Sako To Rok Lo is going to be a landmark film” - Shubho Shekhar Bhattacharjee 

By IndiaFM News Bureau, December 9, 2004 - 02:45 IST

This man believes in the golden management mantra that 'Planning pays'. While you see half of Bollywood hopping mad prior to a release date, IndiaFM is pleasantly surprised when we catch the executive producer of Rok Sako To Rok Lo, Shubho Shekhar Bhattacharjee cooling his heels...

Shubho as he is fondly called, takes us through the marketing blitzkrieg for the film, tells us why Rok Sako…is all set to be a cult, and rubs us on why you don't need to be a rocket scientist to map a movie promotion…

From management to moviemaking, how has it been?
It's been a roller-coaster ride. We have always had this bug to so something in films. We wanted to channelize our energies into filmmaking. So in 2001, when Anjan Das approached us with the script of 'Sanjbathir Roopkathra', we were all geared to produce it. The film went onto become a huge success. That egged us to plunge into filmmaking head-on.

There has been a year-long research that has gone into developing the film. So the transition has been gradual and smooth.

Do you agree that management can bring 'method to the madness' of filmmaking?
Madness is in the thought process; it isn't in execution. “How mad can your idea get?” is what the creativity is all about. We have tried to discipline the process of filmmaking. And the management mantras have been very helpful.

The film showcases an entire bunch of newbies, would you agree that apart from being a casting decision, it has been an exercise at pooling talent as well?
Yes. Reason one would have to be that the plot of story, which was set in High school, needed young faces. We can't cast forty plus actors as college kids. Secondly, since we are into films now, we need to create and cultivate talent.

You have backed your film by very inventive marketing. What is the promotional mix that you are looking at?
Oh, yes we have been doing phenomenal promotions for the film. For starters, we have positioned the film as 'The biggest school film ever'. Compare it to any recent school film and the scale is really big. I was very clear that we aren't getting into any promotional activity that doesn't convert into a ticket buy.

Tell us about the pub-crawl that created a lot of noise…
That was one activity where we covered 40 pubs in one night. If you look at an average of 100 people in one spot, we hit 4000 youngsters in one go. Here, they were talking about the film, listening to its music, dancing to its tunes, the works. Now the next time they are exposed to the film promos, they will be enticed to see the film. And this is just the beginning, a gym crawl, a cafe crawl; trade fairs are some of things happening alongside.

What about brand placements and brand tie-ins for your film?
Well, we haven't got into them as yet, because we were looking at that one 'Big idea'. There has to be connect. If there isn't, it's a waste for the brand as well as for the film. It's very jarring to the eye.

So, is it that the script didn't invite any brand placement or you consciously stayed away?
We didn't really feel the need to use any brands for the film. Besides in the film, Sunny makes a statement, 'Today I have the greatest brand in my life, Brand Life' which derides today's branded lifestyle. Now there would be a conflict if we plastered a Pepsi or a Coke in the film. So we thought that it was best that we didn't indulge into any tie-up.

That brings me to my next question that is, why is it that in most films, the products almost scream out of the script?
This amazes me too! There is zero brand-fit in most films. Companies pour in so much money to create a brand, and then place it in a one-off film, which doesn't ensure them of any brand leverage.

So would you feature a brand in your forthcoming films may be?
Oh sure. We are going to take up such activity in our upcoming movies. But that will happen only once we hit upon that 'one big idea', nothing until then. We'll ensure that there is huge brand-fit; people love it as an experience and don't see it as a blatant endorsement happening.

No brand placements happening, but what is it in terms of brand tie-ups?
Ah, now that is something that we have gone all out at. We did a beautiful Tata Sonata tie-up where they gave us 3000 thirty seconder spots on television during the peak Diwali season. Besides, Barista was used as a base for announcing the pub-crawl event. We even gave away goodies in terms of Oakley designer glares.

A huge activity is currently happening at Barista from 1st-10th Dec. Further, the film has a tie up with a sportswear brand. Besides our association with Coke has earned us visibility at 25,000 Coke outlets. And 30 Coke vehicles will carry Rok Sako To Rok Lo canvas. So the activity in terms of tie-ups has been stupendous!

How do you think the film has shaped up?
I think it's worked out really well. I believe it's going to be a landmark film, a cult. There are so many elements in the film that are going to earn it a following. The characters have fleshed out really well. Be it Sunny's 'larger-than-life' character, intense school rivalry, or the bizarre characters, all of these will have an eager audience. I am sure that the film will open big.

One management mantra that has helped you escape the regular Bollywood chaos?
Firstly, I don't' think you need to be a super-brain to promote a movie well. Get your planning in order, and the rest should be a breeze. It's only when you do 'reactive marketing' that you land in trouble. Meaning, you have your product ready, you now brainstorm on 10 ideas and try to suit them alongside the film. That's when things get chaotic!

Now that the movie is nearing it's release, what are Planman Life's pipeline projects?
The shooting for Faltu is already on; the last leg of shoot will commence from February 15th. May 2005 will see the big canvas film Tu, which has a battery of stars. Also there is yet another film that we are scripting. And if things work out the way we see it, shooting should start by September.

“Corporatisation of Bollywood is a laugh!” - Arindham Chaudhari