Beating The Cricket Jinx [Part 1]

The teaser of the Sanjay Dutt biopic was released on April 24. And to maximise its reach the makers have decided to use IPL as a platform. The video was played during the IPL match. And we are sure it got all of you excited? So are we! Except one nagging phenomena.

More often than not, movies that used cricket as a promotional tool has ended up biting dust at the box office. Of course there are some remarkable cases of super-hits too, but did they not say, “Exceptions prove the rule!” Could this be a jinx? In a country which thrives on cricket and movies… could movies riding on cricket be bad news? Statistics! Here’s a look at some movies which chosen cricket matches as a promotional avenue.

Bombay Velvet (2015)

This was supposed to be Anurag Kashyap’s most ambitious project. The craze was palpable and the producers thought it was fitting to release the trailer in a big way. And they did so, at the Quarter Final match of the Cricket World Cup, 2015. The match was between India and Bangladesh. Ranbir also turned a commentator during the match. Bombay Velvet is one film that took a rather huge toll his the actor’s career.

Shamitabh 2015

A couple of months before Ranbir, it was Amitabh Bachchan who turned a commentator on a cricket match. The occasion was an India-Pakistan match. His fans loved it and he trended social media. The strategy also fit right into the promotions of his film Shamitabh – a film which was largely inspired by the superstar’s magnificent voice. The film ended a turkey.

Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara (2013)

This is one film where the team tried everything they could to use the IPL. At first they tried to be a part of the opening ceremony, but after Shah Rukh Khan allegedly hijacked their plans because he did not want the film to get such sweet promotion, they decided to just attend a match in Kolkata as ‘cricket lovers’. The catch – these cricket lovers wore T shirts with the logo of their film. Unfortunately for them, the broadcasters decide to avoid showing the actors in any frame. The film did not meet any better fate. \

Zanjeer (2013)

The much touted remake of the Amitabh Bachchan starrer was supposed to be the Hindi debut of Telegu superstar Ram Charan Teja. It also starred Priyanka Chopra, who was at top of her game. They went to be part of a Celebrity Cricket League match. The film sank without a trace.

Ra.One (2011)

Shah Rukh Khan’s most ambitious film, one that ended up being a case study for marketing students. Yet the fil m itself did not quite meet results that SRK would have wished for. Though he earned back his investment, a couple of distributors and exhibitors lost money. The promotions of this movie started with the launch of its first look during the quarter final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The match ended well for Indians, with our team beating Australians, but Shah Rukh could not say the same about the film.

Dum Maaro Dum (2011)

This film is remembered for Dum Maro Dum item number by Deepika Padukone. The actress along with the entire cast of the film – Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Rana Daggubatti, Prateik Babbar were present at the music launch of the film, which was done in Nagpur during the India-South Africa World Cup tie! Sachin Tendulkar hit a ton in the match, the movie scored a duck.

Azhar (2016)

Even before the shoots started, the makers used IPL to release the first look of the film. It was of Emraan Hashmi as Azhar. After the film was shot, the actor along with Nargis Fakhri released Pune to watch an IPL match between Pune Supergiants-Mumbai Indians. They did create the required buzz, but the film reached nowhere.

Does all of this scare you? Well, we do hope that the Dutt biopic manages to escape the jinx too. Like Mr  India did! Yes, the Anil Kapoor starrer was the first film to use cricket as a promotional tool. Anil Kapoor had in fact walked into the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in his ‘Mr India’ getup and tossed the coin before a match, as the world looked on. The film changed the way movies were promoted.  Apart of this, Shah Rukh Khan also launched the trailer of Chennai Express during the IPL 2013 final match. The film was a hit.

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