"Kal Kissne Dekha won't release with any promotion" - Vashu Bhagnani 
By Joginder Tuteja, March 18, 2009 - 11:01 IST
Master of promotion and marketing gimmicks, Vashu Bhagnani, has taken an altogether different stand when it comes to the launch of his own son Jackky Bhagnani. Call it a well though of gamble but Vashu, who was once known as the 'man with the Midas touch', has decided that he won't promote his Vivek Sharma directed Kal Kissne Dekha at all. In a conversation with Joginder Tuteja, he makes this shocking revelation while also stating reasons behind this move which is clearly against the tide in the current times when more than 200 satellite channels rule the television world.
Did you just say 'no promotion at all'?
Exactly. By no promotion, I really mean no promotion. I am not going slowly now to pick up pace towards the film's release. Instead, the film will release without any TV promos.
How about other mediums?
The song CD is out and the tracks can also be heard and bought online. Apart from this, there won't be any other way that Kal Kissne Dekha will be exposed to audience before it's release. There will be hoardings though but even that would be controlled. But if you are asking me about television promos then there would be none. Also, there won't be any radio promotion either.
Is it happening due to ongoing 'producers v/s exhibitors' tussle?
It is not the reason but then the entire fiasco did get the thought running. It just set me in a thinking mode that why we do we have to spend so much on the promotion when ultimately we are looking at getting back that money from the audience's pocket only. Kahin naa kahin se woh paisa wapas nikalna hi hai jo lagaaya hai, toh phir usme audience ko kyon pareshan kiya jaaye! It is better to save cost than inflict it on others.
But won't the 'zero promotion' stance turn out to be a deterrent for Jackky's launch?
It's an experiment and I hope that it turns out to be a new marketing 'mantra' in weeks and months to come. Also, at the end of the day, even if it sounds clichéd, it's the product that does the talking. Tell me, in the 60s or the 70s, was there any medium though with a movie was promoted? Were there any entertainment channels? Even then the films did succeed, right? We have been spoilt by so many choices available and more is only turning out to be less. I want to go against the trend and am quite positive that it will work.
So in a way you are creating a suspense element around Jackky by hiding him from the audience?
In a way, that's true. So the thought here is, if you want to see how Jackky looks on screen, come and watch him on the big screen. I would rather have audience see him for the first time on screen rather than hundred times a day on music channels day in and night out before the D-Day. I want the curiosity element to be built around him and Vaishali (Desai), the debutant girl. Audience should keep guessing who they are and how well do they act on screen.
Seems like the Yash Raj Films way of promotion too has inspired you. They too seldom go ballistic in the promotion of their films, case in point being Dhoom 2 which was hardly publicized but went on to be the biggest money spinner of their production house before Rab ne Bana Di Jodi happened.
Yes, they too have attempted this promotion and marketing model earlier but I am aware that this is still in its infancy stage. You never know, this may well turn out to be future way of movie marketing. (Smiles) Aakhir, kal kissne dekha!
Well, one certainly looks forward to see if the approach really pays dividends in the final run. In an era when even Aamir Khan hit the streets and started cutting hair of all and sundry for the promotion of Ghajini, a newcomer choosing to wait for audience to come to him via big screen interaction is a brave step indeed!
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SRK and Abhishek Bachchan in Vivek Sharma's Kal Kissney Dekha
