Live fever grips B-town promotions

New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) Press conferences and mall promotions are not enough to push films. Now actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan are readily jamming live with their fan base through concerts and performances across the nation. This, not just to create a buzz for the films but also to increase their connect with the audiences.

At the recent grand concert for forthcoming film "Rockstar" in Mumbai, Ranbir emerged as a true rockstar as he performed like a pro with music maestro A.R.Rahman, co-star Nargis Fakhri, singer Mohit Chauhan, music arranger Ranjit Barot and percussionist Sivamani.

The concert drew thousands of fans, who cheered the "Rockstar" team and Ranbir, who played the guitar, danced and indulged in some special stunts for his fans.

"Ever since his Bollywood debut, Ranbir has not performed live to an audience. This is what makes the 'Rockstar' concert so much special for the team, as well as Ranbir's fans. Plus, Rahman sir's brilliant soundtrack has generated an incredible hype," said producer Hiren Gandhi of Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd.

"The songs are topping the charts not only in India but in the US, Britain and several other markets. Hence planning a concert made a lot of sense, given the craze and euphoria for the music," he added.

A live performance and large-scale event for the music launch of Ekta Kapoor's sensational project "The Dirty Picture" will be staged in a Mumbai mall Friday.

Leading lady Vidya Balan, whose song "Ooh la la" is already quite the fantasy for many of her fans, is expected to mesmerise the public with a live performance. Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor, Bappi Lahiri and Shreya Ghoshal and veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah too will join her on the stage.

Explaining the idea behind such a music launch event, Girish Johar, head of acquisition and distribution, Balaji Motion Pictures, told IANS: "We wanted to take the film to the public directly so that they can interact with the stars and enjoy the music."

The trend for live concerts for film promotion was set by hit musical "Rock On!!" - and ever since, audiences were left hungry for more.

The promotion for the the 2008 film, which was about a hippie rock band Magik, saw the actors - Farhan Akhtar, Purab Kohli, Arjun Rampal and Luke Kenny - as well as the composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, travelling to various cities and performing live for the audiences. Crowds came in hordes to sing along, dance and head bang to the power-packed numbers.

Purab, who played the role of K.D. aka Killer Drummer in the film, recalled it as an "exhilarating" experience.

"It was fantastic. We loved the concerts because for actors to see the love of their fans is the best thing ever, and the love that the audience gave us during the concerts was unmatched," Purab told IANS.

"All promotional activities around a film are planned to take the film to the audience. But live performances and concerts are an effort to give them some special experience, which can give them lifelong memories as well as make them want to see the movie even more. Besides, these events help a lot in building a connect between an actor and his audience. So it's a promising trend," added Purab.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who recently rolled out his most ambitious project "RA.One" too planned a grand event for the music launch for it in Film City.

Complete with a huge set, SRK performed along with Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and composers Vishal-Shekhar much to the delight of his friends, crew and mediapersons. The event was later televised for the fans he loves so much. Click the Movie button below for more info:
Rockstar