As Shankar’s 2.0 harnesses the power of Web 2.0 for an improved fanfare, an era of snow kissed mountains come to an end.
1990s witnessed Indians getting influenced by American culture. The primary reason for this was economic liberalization blessing Indians with an increased purchasing power and hence an aspiration to flaunt International brands and explore places like America and Europe.
Improved American immigration policies only encouraged this aspiration of Indians. This emotion was captured well in the then popular Bollywood melodies like Dilwale DulhaniaLe Jayenge (shot in Switzerland), Dil To Pagal Hai (shot in Germany) and Yashji’s Chandni (showcasing the lake of Switzerland and the highest railway station in Europe).
Bollywood has been using an International backdrop since 1960s. But the Yash Chopra style of making Indians romanticize with Swiss snow and the alpines made these locations even more aspirational. Hitting the theaters in 1980s, Faasle was his first film bridging the gap between India and Switzerland. Thereafter the love only kept blossoming and his 90s’ release Chandni got Indians say – we want to visit Switzerland. No wonder, late Mr Chopra received special gestures of love from Switzerland like; a lake being named as Yash Chopra lake,a train being named after him and him being honored as the Ambassador of Interlaken.
While the influence of foreign culture was becoming deeper, there came in 1993 the first sci-fi release from U.S. – Jurassic Park exposing Indians to a magnificent experience from Hollywood. With eye-popping dinosaurs and a good soundtrack, Steven Spielberg could draw Indians to theaters for an experience which was not just new but truly larger than life. While the audience was mesmerized, Indian film makers realized that harnessing technology in improving the theater experience was the next big thing in Bollywood.
Thereafter, CG was effectively used in Avengers series, Avatar, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and many others; all owing a big chunk of their success to Jurassic Park which created a niche for movies giving a special experience with special visual effects (VXF) in India. Avatar is another popular piece in this league that worked on absolute details making the exotic plant life come alive. The then buzzword – Computer Graphics (CGI) has today become ubiquitous.
The recent high grosser on Box Office – Shankar’s 2.0 exemplifies how the use of technology in movie making has been gaining consistent popularity. It offers experience-rich-entertainment. Indian audience has evolving from the level of wanting to own products or spending time to enjoying extra-ordinary experiences. When they visit theaters, they expect the same – A LARGER THAN LIFE EXPERIENCE and not just Entertainment. 2.0 succeeds in delivering this experience.
Shankar’s 2.0 is a classic example of this change. It truly harnessed the power of web 2.0 multiplying its audience reach that eventually reflected in the film’s success on the box office. 2.0’s promotions hit our screens on Ganesh Chaturthi 2018 with the very first teaser video earning 32 million views in just 24 hours. It has taught film-makers that today you tubers have the power of influencing the millennial better than the traditional celebrity interaction. Perhaps because you tubers are able to empathize better with millennial and hence are able to drive quicker and stronger bonds driving them to theaters.
Planning social media marketing right is a must for Bollywood because platforms like fb live, Instagram stories, snapchat and movie based games are the most effective mediums to reach out to the selfie generation today.
Technology driven special effects in a film when served right to its audience by way of technologically advanced marketing platforms guarantees a response that’s record-breaking and an experience that’s cherished for a longer time.
