Mumbai, Feb 29: The latest sort of publicity gimmick chosen by the makers of Paan Singh Tomar may create a ruckus in the elite Juhu area of Mumbai. The hoarding that has been put up for Paan Singh Tomar near Juhu's Costa Coffee outlet has a virtual bag hanging to it, which has Rs 3.5 lakh cash in it.
Confirming the news, Shikha Kapur, senior vice-president of UTV Motion Pictures, says, “As Irrfan plays a robber in the film, we thought it would be a nice innovation in the outdoor advertising space. We are pegging it (the cash bounty) as Paan Singh's loot. ”
The production house claims to have made the required arrangements to protect their stash, which was hoisted onto the poster opposite popular haunt Costa Coffee around noon. Shikha says, “In terms of security, there were people posted around the hoarding, though they were dressed in casual clothing.”
The experiment only lasted for a brief spell, since the filmmakers didn't want the pile of cash to attract any unwanted trouble. “We only put it up for a couple of hours, and took it down by 3 pm. We are aware that we can't keep the money up there until the film releases,” admits Shikha.
DN Nagar resident Rafiq Ahmed, who witnessed some adventurous opportunists scaling the billboard, says, “We saw a bag full of money hanging from the hoarding. We thought that it was fake, but when some people tried climbing the poles of the hoarding to get the money, we realised that it was real.”
Passer-by Sahil Patel stopped his car to get a better glimpse of the hoarding. “There was lots of excitement on the ground as people were looking up at the cash hanging there. I wish I knew how to climb,” he says.
In the Tighmanshu Dhulia-directed film, Irrfan Khan takes on the role of the real-life dacoit.
