After playing an individual affected with Asperger’s Syndrome in good friend Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan, SRK is back and how! The buzz about Ra.One never seem to stop. If you are online, it is Ra.One everywhere. If you switch on your TV, it is Shahrukh at every other reality show and if you open your newspaper, it is G.One again! It all begun more than six months ago, and the intensity of promotional activity is just getting bigger everyday and SRK and team has managed to frequently stay in the news. Be it Akon crooning Chammak Challo or the guest appearance of Rajnikanth, the objective was to create interest in audience, also to not let people forget about his film and Shahrukh has wonderfully succeeded in doing so.
And now that Ra.One, the most ambitious project of SRK is all set to release this Diwali, the curiosity among audience and industry wallahs is higher than it was for any other Shahrukh’s movie. If one reason is because SRK is back after a two year hiatus, another is that Ra.One is his home production and is also being touted as the costliest ever movie in Bollywood. The stakes are of course huge, but I guess SRK can be rest assured when it comes to minting profits. It is said that a significant percent of his investment has been recovered in few pre-release deals and this aggressive promotional activity will result in a highly positive outcome at least in the first few weeks.
For this movie, money is not what actually matters, because profits will anyway come. And I must say, SRK was witty enough to bring in Tamil Nadu’s demigod, Rajnikanth, for a special appearance in Ra.One. Because, the Rajni aspect can surely bring 200% of the Tamil Nadu to cinemas.
But, the game is between Shahrukh and his Badshah tag. Neither My Name Is Khan nor Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi could help SRK as much. What is uncertain, and what is actually at stake is SRK’s King of Bollywood image which he couldn’t maintain for the past few years. While Shahrukh was busy with his IPL team and other personal affairs, Bollywood has been smoothly taken over by other superstars like Salman and Aamir who have been delivering blockbusters one after the other. If Aamir can pull audience to the screens with his marketing tactics, Salman’s name and presence are more than enough to bring in huge rushes to the theaters.
In this present scenario, it is highly essential for Shahrukh to deliver a grand hit which can help him in retaining his stardom. So, will Ra.One be that much coveted mega hit?
Find Harsha on Twitter and Facebook
Follow Me!