M-Town arousing curiousity with firstlook posters

A first impression is the last impression, they say. And, Marathi filmmakers are pulling out all stops to ensure that their films draw viewers right from the first look. Launching a ���������first-look��������� poster is not new in Bollywood. And now, following in the footsteps of their Bollywood counterparts, M-Town filmmakers are launching posters that immediately rouse the curiosity of the audience.The posters are intriguing; without giving away anything about the film, they capture the audience���������s interest in the subject.
Debutant director Nikhil Mahajan recently launched the first look of his film Pune 52, a project jointly produced by Shrirang Godbole and Umesh Kulkarni. The poster is an extreme close-up of actor Girish Kulkarni���������s face with one eye enlarged through a magnifying glass. ���������The first look of any film is very important as it is the first chance for the audience to gauge and connect with the film. We wanted to create suspense about the film to raise the curiosity of people. Girish plays the role of a detective and rain is a constant factor through the film. The poster is layered with these crucial elements,��������� Nikhil says.
When actor Sonalee���������s sensuous bare-back poster was released for Ajinthanot too long ago, it became the talk of the town. It���������s a promotion tactic and a successful one at that. Director of the film, Nitin Chandrakant Desai explains, ���������A film is a product and should be viewed as one. So it is important that the marketing is done well and the message reaches every nook and corner.��������� There are other examples too. Avdhoot Gupte���������s upcoming love-story Jai Maharashtra DhabaBhatinda���������s poster shows only the clasped hands of a couple with a beautiful landscape as the backdrop, almost reminding one of the 'Tujhe Dekha To' song from the Hindi film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. The poster of Chirgut, which released early this year, showcased only Upendra Limaye���������s back while Mahesh Manjrekar���������s multi-starrer Fakta Ladh Mhana had five actors holding someone at gunpoint without revealing any faces.
Mahesh feels that technology has a big role to play in this trend. ���������Today everybody is internet friendly so promotions are getting better. Showing anonymity in the posters also helps keep the audience���������s interest alive,��������� he feels. Nitin agrees and adds, ���������Compared to before, the percentage of publicity for Marathi films has shot up. It has also become more glamorous which is attracting more eyeballs.���������
Actor Siya Patil, who starred in Chirgut and will now be seen in Pune 52, appreciates the thought that filmmakers are putting in for the promotion. She says, ���������It���������s a good thing that directors are researching and giving so much thought to the promotion of their films. When they put in so much hard work, it is important that it reaches a wider audiece.���������
With these first-look posters, directors are targeting high BO collections. Publicity designer Sachin Dagwale, who has designed the amusing poster of Chirgut, says, ���������Whenever a strategy like this is incorporated, it is meant to show dividends in the first week of the movie���������s release. Generally directors or writers explain the concept of the film to us and we develop our ideas around it,��������� he says. But Sachin also points out that finally it���������s a good storyline that matters in the success of a film. The posters simply bring the audience to the theatres. ���������Such gimmicks do not guarantee the success of a film. But yes, the posters do ensure publicity,��������� he adds.