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Saawariya bed linen, Om Shanti Om clothes and Goal Merchandise, Bollywood's brand avatar is heading to your homes this festive

season

Get ready for Saawariya bed, bath and linen products and Om Shanti Om (OSO) clothes. As Bollywood gears up for the festive season with

two big-ticket releases, producers are going the whole hog and more to “spread the word about the filmsâ€' so that they sizzle at the

box-office and beyond. So, we began seeing promos on TV and posters on buses for both these films right from August though both films

are set to release on November 9. A blue-tinted poster of Saawariya, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali which will see the launch of two star

kids Ranbir and Sonam Kapoor, is up at the Regal cinema in Mumbai. And both Saawariya and OSO have tied up with the Future Group and

Shopper's Stop respectively to launch a special range of merchandise.
“Every year, producers are doing a little more to promote their films, especially in the festive period,â€' says Devang Sampat, VP, marketing and

programming, Cinemax. “This quarter is the biggest for the industry and everyone pulls out all stops to ensure they have a hit on their

hands.â€' In fact, of the five big releases everyone' spurting their money on - Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Saawariya, OSO and

Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan's home production which is set to release during the Christmas holidays (December 21) - Sampat feels one

will go on to become the biggest grosser of the year. At multiplexes, the turnout is always heavier during the festival season and if the film is

good, a good collection is assured.

Bollywood typically launches two big movies during Diwali. If last year, it was Don and Jaan-e- Mann, in 2005 it was Garam Masala and

Shaadi No. 1. This year, Eros International, which has bagged the distribution rights for OSO, is releasing an unprecedented 2,000 prints of

the film worldwide. “It's always good to release a film in the festival season. Everyone wants to go out with the family and have a good time,â€'

admits Siddharth Roy Kapur, executive VP, marketing, distribution & syndication, UTV Motion Pictures, which is releasing the John

Abraham-starrer Goal on November 23. UTV too has already launched a campaign to promote the film, including a tie up with famous UK

football club Manchester United which will ensure that two lucky winners of the Goal contest will get to watch a Manchester United match in

person.

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“The huge following for football has never really been tapped on screen,â€' says Kapur. “This is the first large-scale film on the game and we

are fanning out to cities and towns to promote the film.â€'

Producers are opting for new ways of promotion too. For instance, Aamir Khan premiered the first look at Taare Zameen Par on the film's

website, ahead of the launch of the promos in cinema halls on Friday. Director Imtiaz Ali asked the audience to choose the name of his next

film - the Shahid-Kareena Kapoor-starrer Jab We Met- and Anurag Kashyap launched a poster contest for No Smoking. Both films release on

October 26, in the heart of the festive season.

Even before Saawariya and OSO fight it out at the box-office, both have signed a spree of marketing deals, from merchandising to branding.

“It's the way of the future,â€' says Sooraj Bhalla, director, creative and content, Mates, which planned the association with Shopper's Stop

and OSO. “Indian films are looking at merchandising in a big way.â€' Internationally, of course, big films from James Bond to Harry Potter and

Spiderman have always had associations with a lot of brands. “In India, brands are also looking at films quite seriously because films grab a

lot of eyeballs, especially in the festival season,â€' adds Bhalla.

Screen India