But with Dev D, Shikha Kapoor, marketing head at UTV Spotboy charting an ‘organic’ publicity method, the images guarantee to invade our consciousness in a way never seen since the days of Titanic. “We hope to tap into every sphere the youth inhabit. So we’ll be going to all the big cities and having drinking competitions, unveiling a range of denims and other merchandise, tattoos and maybe even a range of Dev D condoms,” Kapoor adds.

But then, not all publicity is good publicity. And sometimes it backfires, as in the case of Ghajini. While Aamir Khan had bald clones for ushers at Big Cinema, the films hoped for a similar promotion campaign with an exclusive range of tattoos, theme-based PC and mobile phone games, fashion shows and life-size statues of Khan at multiplexes. But things went wrong when a phone number tattooed on Khan’s body in the film happened to belong to a film distributor; he apparently sent a legal notice to Ghajini’s producers.

“In today’s scenario, it’s important to create a sense of urgency,” explains producer Madhu Mantena. “We can’t afford six-eight weeks of publicity. And especially when there is a Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi to compete with it, it’s important to go all out.”

The makers of Raaz — The Mystery Continues, obviously in love with spooky tales, have set up a spooky short-film talent hunt on ibibo.com, a web portal. Five winners of the contest will get to attend a day-long session on film-making with director Mohit Suri.

... contd.