NAG'S NEW MARKETING STRATEGY

NAG'S NEW MARKETING STRATEGY

Tollywood's trendsetter comes up with a novel plan to promote his upcoming periodic film

Suresh Kavirayani

Nagarjuna is going the Bollywood way. No, he's not shifting base, but rather adopting some of the novel marketing strategies of Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, to promote his upcoming film based on the life of freedom fighter Rajanna from the Telangana region.
For this film, Nag is doing something unheard of in T-town — he has already sold out the tickets for his premiere across Andhra Pradesh, and we presume it's for quite a price. "All the tickets were sold out. The proceeds of the premiere will be used to fund my acting school which is a non-profit organization," reveals Nag. While Nag, who is also the producer of the film, is going all out for his pet project, he still keeps it simple. Glitzy audio functions might be the new trend in T-town, but Nag likes to be hatke. In fact, for his upcoming film, the actor did not even have a formal do. "If the music is really good, you need not create a hungama for people to sit up and notice. It will automatically happen," says a confident Nag.
"Most audio functions are just platforms for mutual-admiration, where the cast and crew go gaga over one another praising each other in glowing terms. I personally don't like it. I feel my film's music is good and it will make it on its own steam," says Nag.
And true enough the music of his upcoming periodic film is already topping the charts. An upbeat Nag informs, "This film is going to be one of the milestones in my career. I loved the script of the film and the way director Vijayendra Prasad narrated the story to me. The story is about freedom fighter Rajanna and his daughter. Set in Nizamabad, it is about the emotional journey of the father-daughter duo. Some of the characters in the film have been inspired by real people. Well-known lyricist Suddala Ashok Teja's father Suddala Hanumanthu is the inspiration behind Rajanna's character. Likewise, we researched and recreated some real life incidents that happened during the Razakar's movement. Child artiste Annie, who plays my daughter in the film, deserves special praise."
Suresh.kavirayani@timesgroup.com

A still from 'Rajanna'