MUMBAI: It will be the third film from its slate to hit Indian screens when it releases on 28 March this year. Youngistaan, a collaborative venture between Multi Screen Media (MSM) Motion Pictures and the Vashu Bhagnani owned Pooja Pictures, is scheduled to be simultaneously rolled out on 1,000 screens nationally and shows the studio's commitment to bring out medium to small budget films which are likely to find a connect with India's urban youth.
Directed by Sayed Ahmed Afzal, the movie is about Abhimanyu Kaul played by Jackky Bhagnani who after the sudden turn of events is expected to fill his father’s shoes as the Prime Minister of India. The film has been shot in several locations including Japan, Lucknow, Agra, Indore, Gurgaon and Noida. Apart from Jackky, the film also stars Neha Sharma, the late Farooq Shaikh and Boman Irani.
“Youngistaan is a movie that should appeal to the youth. It is not about who you vote for but it’s about your right to vote and that you must exercise that franchisee,” says MSM Motion Pictures CEO NP Singh. “Vashu Bhagnani, the co-producer of the movie, approached us some six months back. We have earlier acquired a lot of movies from his banner for our TV channels. So our association goes long back. The best way to do a business is to completely trust your partner and this is the relationship I share with Vashu and so got into producing this movie with him. The script was powerful and we wanted to make a movie with a message. This was the right kind of movie for our banner."
Adds Jackky: “The movie is a complete entertainer that caters to the fervent and enthusiastic youth of our nation. It centers around the lives of today’s youth, who want to be heard and want to make a difference. The movie is special because I believe in it."
Singh points out that the film has pan India appeal. "So we are not after a particular market, but targeting all the markets. Though no final decision has been taken, but the movie will be released to close to 1000 screens,” adds Singh.
A push across several media has been planned for Youngistaan. Right from using all MSM network channels to using various digital media. “We will not leave any stone unturned in marketing the movie. We are planning a city wise promotion tour as well as several shows aired on Sony will see be used to integrate the film and its actors,” he informs.
A Youngistaan campaign has also been created as a mobile app for promotions. “For the first time ever, the app will contain photos and trailers of the movie with a watermark. This is to help youngsters interact with each other through the app which will be launched on all the platforms,” adds Jackky.
MSM Motion Pictures' has taken dainty and cautious steps into the business of movies over the past year with its first venture being Bajate Raho. Its second title, a horror film, Darr at the Mall will release on 21 February pan India in around 800-1000 screens, while Youngistaan will be followed by Mango. Its fifth offering Ghoom Ketu has signed up the new darling of several film makers - Nawazuddin Siddiqui. “This should release in July. And with that we will have five films on our slate. Then in the next couple of months we will get into commissioning other films,” reveals Singh.
Is its film catalogue helping MSM make money? Its debut film Bajate Raho did not really get the cash registers ringing. “We have just had one commercial release so far which was Bajate Raho. So it is too early to comment on whether we are making money. We can talk about it only after all the five releases,” confesses Singh.
With most movies being aired on television now, will we see a world television premiere of Youngistaan sooner than later? “It is true that the windows today have shrunk but we will take a call on Youngistaan's TV premiere post its release in cinema halls, ” concludes Singh.
