Blogs Uncensored

BOLLYWOOD (B)LOGS ON!!

Bollywood (B)Logs On

        Want to know if the movie you are planning to watch this week is any good? You could read the review in the newspapers or ask your friend who's watched it. Better still, you could log on to the Internet and read what people have written in their blogs, or posted on message boards. Wait, I have a better idea.

        How about asking the stars themselves? Today along with the routine promotion, films have started creating their own blogs, as a way to promote their movie. These blogs have posts put up by the stars and other members of the crew.

       The most recent film to use this method was Anthony Kaun Hai? , http://anthonykaunhai.spaces.live.com MSN Spaces was the official online host for the movie. The first post has the synopsis of the film to let bloggers all over the world know what the movie is about. MSN India users also had an access to exclusive theatrical and dialogue from the movie and can along with exclusive text and video interviews with the stars on the movie.

     “The whole idea of having a blog space for ‘Anthony Kaun Hai?’ is that it provides an avenue for the fans as well us to communicate with each other on an almost personal level”, said Arshad Warsi, the lead actor of the film. Speaking on being the official site for ‘Anthony Kaun Hai?’ Mr. Jaspreet Bindra, Country Head, MSN India said, “MSN India has always been committed to providing its users with unique innovative interactive opportunities.

          The website has been designed for the fans to express themselves. These unique features like the “Anthony Kaun Hai?” blog or exclusive video and dialogue choices ensure that members experience the best innovative online entertainment experience.” The blog has fans from all over, asking the stars questions, to which the female lead actors, Minissha Lamba and Anusha Dandekar have posted replies.

        The idea behind these blogs is to begin the movie experience much before entering the cinema hall. The Internet allows audiences to get in-depth information that may not be possible with just the trailers. The most unique factor of the blog is the convenient interaction between the stars and the fans.

       But moving away from the innovative way of promotion, looking at it just as a blog, the Anthony Kaun Hai? space is unsatisfactory. This is because there are no posts after the synopsis, it is just being used as a medium to interact. Thus the advantages of a blog haven’t been exploited to the fullest. Also there is no post release news on the blog.

           Other major blogs used for promotion are, http://www.rediff.com/mobile/apharan/ap_blog.html  for the film Apharan. This blog is extremely interesting. The main actors of the film have personally posted their experience of being in the movie and have replied to comments made by bloggers. The design of the blog is also very appealing to the reader. The success of the blog can be measured through the thousands of comments it has received.

A film like Mangal Pandey, that was generating a great deal of pre-release hype, also employed the blogosphere for promoting itself. This film was also in tie-up with MSN India, http://mangalpandey.spaces.live.com/blog/

This was very similar to the Anthony Kaun Hai?  website in terms of structure but in terms of responses from fans this blog raced far ahead because it had none other than actor, Aamir Khan addressing to them.

        These were just few blogs that have used blogs as a medium to promote their films. I am sure in times to come the blogosphere will be an indispensable tool for all film marketers. However the must keep in mind that they key audience they are trying to target the youth, might get turned off by in your face marketing, thus it is essential to make the blogs a forum for a lot more than just talking about the movie.

-          Shubh Shivdasani.

( Interview source- msn.com)