Mumbai: He has endorsed almost every consumer product right from hair oil to cars, but megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he is not a salesman. The 69-year-old actor is amused by Bollywood's current obsession with marketing films and the crores spent to draw attention of the audience.
“Now... gosh I fail to even imagine the various
‘technologies' that are put into use for attention to be drawn towards a particular film. Any and every medium that has the patronage or attention of the masses, is exploited for the benefit of a film on release.
“Spend tons of money, almost the entire budget of the film at times, to get in the audience for that crucial first week and rest,” he wrote in his blog. Bachchan talked about how actors like Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan leave no stone unturned to promote their films. “During the time I was hosting ‘Big Boss', Akshay had come along to be a part of the programme to promote one of his films.
After finishing his stint he needed to rush back to Mumbai to attend another programme on TV for the same promotion. I asked him why he was rushing around like this. He said, almost apologetically - what to do sir ji, one has to do this!!
“On a casual conversation with Shah Rukh once, he told Abhishek I think - ‘I am very good at marketing, if you ever need any help on that, let me know',” the veteran actor said.
Bachchan said he is not capable of such marketing but has to succumb to it unwillingly due to the demands of the times. “I am not a salesman and to expect this talent from me would be wishful thinking. But the region and area of work that we function in, has made it mandatory for all of us to succumb unwillingly into the depths of its operations. “I asked Rajinikanth once what he thought of all this... He gave me a simple answer. ‘I am an actor Amit ji, not a salesman.
What is the need to go and sell myself. If a film is good it will be patronised, if not it shall not. No amount of selling shall drive a paying audience into the theatre, if basic factors are not in place.' End of argument!,” Bachchan said.
