Dhurandhar's marketing head Varun Gupta reveals why Ranveer Singh didn't promote film, recalls Aditya Dhar's calm reaction to criticism before release
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh 's Dhurandhar became a major box-office success, breaking several records and establishing itself as one of the highest-grossing Indian movie franchises. However, before its rollout, the movie faced criticism over its marketing strategy, with some followers expressing disappointment over the lack of buzz. In a conversation with the Everyday Empires podcast, Varun Gupta, founder of Max Marketing, the agency behind the promotional campaigns for Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge, revealed why Ranveer did not promote the movie and recalled Aditya's reaction to the criticism before its rollout.
Adding to this, Dhurandhar's marketing agency founder reveals why Ranveer Singh didn't promote the movie. Varun Gupta on Dhurandhar's marketing strategy Varun shared he could not recall any Hindi movie releasing a 3.5-minute-long promotional asset six months before its rollout prior to Dhurandhar. He added that while such a practice was common in Hollywood, it had not been seen in Hindi cinema. He also opened up that his team came on board for Dhurandhar even before the star cast was finalised and heard the script at that stage.
Meanwhile, He shared that while the movie is now being hailed as a major success, the team faced criticism before its rollout, with people questioning its marketing, promotions and lack of buzz.
Notably, He shared, "There were times when articles would come out saying the promotions were bad and there was no buzz. Aditya would just send them to me and say, ‘It’s all okay.’ There were no questions asked. That kind of trust makes you want to do anything for them. You become their warriors. I’m happy the movie worked because everyone put a lot into it. But Aditya and Ranveer Singh, specifically, put in a lot beyond what they should have as a director and an star. I’m happy for everyone associated with it."
As per the latest buzz, Varun also spoke about the alleged paid smear campaigns targeting films ahead of their rollout. He shared that when a movie starring a particular star is about to rollout, certain sections unnecessarily criticise it. He pointed out that filmmakers face criticism regardless of whether they take the lead star out for promotions. If the star participates in promotional activities, people question why such a big star needs to promote the movie and argue that newer actors would attract more attention. However, if the star does not participate, people claim that the makers are promoting the movie without generating enough buzz.
In further updates, Varun also explained why Ranveer did not promote Dhurandhar, contrasting the decision with Ranbir Kapoor's promotional activities for Animal.
On top of that, He shared, "Ranbir had Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar before Animal rolled out, Ranveer Singh had not had a great run before Dhurandhar. There was a very conscious decision between us, the director, the producer and the star. We were like, ‘Okay, let the movie and its assets talk. Let the actors not talk.'"
Varun's company has previously worked on promotional campaigns for films such as RRR, Animal, Kalki 2898 AD and Chandu Champion. It is also associated with SS Rajamouli's soon-to-release movie Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran in lead roles.
Source: Hindustan Times