Indiantelevision.com Team

(19 December 2009 6:30 pm)

MUMBAI: There is a flurry of activity going on in Vinod Chopra Productions. Head-honcho Vidhu Vinod Chopra, along with director Rajkumar Hirani, lead actors Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi and Madhavan, is busy promoting 3 Idiots that is up for release on 25 December.

Says an official spokesperson, "Producers, these days, have been concentrating on marketing their films than ever before. Their only mantra: the more the promotion, the more the chances of the film's success at the box-office. We have also adopted the same procedure.

"The marketing strategies of 3 Idiots have been devised by lead star Aamir Khan and when he is at work, one can expect magic. Funny ways are being sought to promote the film."

To begin with, butt chairs have been placed at leading multiplex chains. "I have seen people photographing themselves and their relatives sitting on the chairs and regaling themselves and others around," says the spokesperson.

The 3 Idiots team has also used unique stickers on some rickshaws plying on streets that read 'Capacity: 3 Idiots'. It is reported that these stickers are seen on around 10,000 rickshaws in cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Gujarat, Jaipur, Kota, Lucknow, Kanpur, Patna, Kolkata, Bhopal, Indore, Bengaluru and Chennai.

A few weeks ago, the walls of washrooms next to the cubicles in the men's restroom of certain theatres were painted with slogans that read 'you are an idiot'. This was part of the promotion of 3 Idiots.

An interactive website has been launched in association with Zapak.com with a college set-up as the homepage. The website designed keeping in mind the college atmosphere, was complete with a hostel, classroom, toilet, canteen and a few special added features.

Along with, the 3 Idiots team also launched a new game in association with the online service portal. The objective of the game is to find Aamir Khan who has gone into hiding. Anybody who spotted Khan was to inform the team and the winner would get to dine with Aamir Khan on New Year's Eve. The team had roped in Sachin Tendulkar to give out the first clue for the two-day game.

Reliance Life Insurance has tied up with the Vidhu Vinod Chopra film to promote its 'All Is Well Insurance Plans'. "You see, there is an ad of the insurance company in which the actors keep appearing. At the end of the ad, they proclaim, All Izz Well if you go for All Izz Well Insurance Plan," says the spokesperson.

Khan has even designed a range of 3 Idiots T-shirts marketed by Pantaloons.

This is not the first time that Aamir Khan is promoting his film. Last year, Khan devised unique marketing strategies before the release of Ghajini. Life-sized cutouts of himself were placed in multiplexes across India. Additionally he had also given the ushers at the theatres a Ghajini haircut.