Great marketing! 
By Taran Adarsh, February 8, 2007 - 03:04 IST
After distributing biggies such as RANG DE BASANTI, DON, TAXI NO. 9211 and BLUFFMASTER! in U.K. [all UTV films], Ashoka Holla and Tanuj Garg, who have joined Studio 18, are concentrating on mainstream Bollywood features and also keeping an eye on ‘alternative menu’. “We’re looking to assemble a more diverse slate comprising films of different set-ups, genres and scales to broaden the overseas market and nurture the sensibilities of the audience so as to make them more receptive to cinema outside of what they’ve been used to,” says Tanuj.
To start with, Studio 18 plans to release 35-40 prints overseas of Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s romantic comedy HONEYMOON TRAVELS PVT. LTD. Even though the genre and music of the film is extremely Overseas-friendly, the entire face-value might not be, but the sort of marketing and advertising push that Studio 18 is giving to the title of this sort is incredible.
In U.K., for example, the soundtrack has already made it in the Top 10. Besides, Studio 18 has tied up with a number of Asian channels and radio stations for competitions, while the BBC Asian Network is interviewing several actors of the film all of February [month of love] and getting them to interact with listeners live.
Tanuj is gung-ho about the marketing. “In U.K., in terms of marketing activities, we’re doing as much on HONEYMOON TRAVELS PVT. LTD. as we did on DON last year, though not with the same monetary intensity, of course,” he says, adding in the same breath, “We’re giving away movie memorabilia on a U.K.-based channel. On another channel here, we’re giving away a lavish honeymoon to the Jumeirah Beach [Dubai]. Different activities with different radio stations are being chalked out, all within budgetary parameters. The idea is to warm up the international market to pedigreed, progressive and fun-filled mid-range films. It’s time someone developed the market.”
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