There was a time, not so long ago, when film premieres were exclusive affairs. Only very prestigious banners or producers of films with a stellar cast hosted such events. The premiere was the final strategy to publicise a film, and the stars turned up in force to make the event spectacular.
Now, in the age of PR-driven parties and for-rent ‘celebrities’, film premieres are no longer the preserve of the privileged. Today, every cinema hosts a preview screening of every film, Bollywood or Hollywood, and dubs it a premiere.
"In the good old days, a premiere was a grand occasion," says producer-director Ravi Chopra. "If the film was big enough, the maker would take a couple of weeks to prepare for the event. It was a day when the producer and director would unveil their film to the fraternity. Today, it’s only for the people involved in the film." The present-day premiere is quite often a cola-and-popcorn affair, drawing TV personalities with time on their hands and the occasional film actor who cares to drop in. Sometimes, even the stars associated with the film give it a miss. Not so in the hey-days of great production houses.
Mamaji, a veteran at RK Studios, recalls, "Each premiere had a unique concept, which was talked about for days." Metro, Liberty, Eros and Maratha Mandir were preferred venues, and coverage was left to film magazines, which hit the stands only once a month. That also helped keep the film in the news a month after its release.
As Mamaji says, "When Sangam was premiered in Delhi, it was a like a national event. At Asifsaab’s premiere of Mughal-e-Azam, prints came on an elephant. The grandeur of the premiere was at par with that of the film." When the colour version of the film was released a couple of years ago, the print arrived the same way at Eros.
{{/usCountry}}As Mamaji says, "When Sangam was premiered in Delhi, it was a like a national event. At Asifsaab’s premiere of Mughal-e-Azam, prints came on an elephant. The grandeur of the premiere was at par with that of the film." When the colour version of the film was released a couple of years ago, the print arrived the same way at Eros.
{{/usCountry}}This tradition of grandeur has all but disappeared, abetted by the rise of multiplexes. They have taken it upon themselves to host film premieres, often assisted by a sponsor.
Memorable publicity measures
Mughal-e-Azam: The prints for both the original and the colour version arrived at the premiere venue on an elephant
Saudagar: The Subhash Ghai film was the first to premiere at more than one cinema (five, in fact)
Rang De Basanti: A group performed bhangra to dhol beats the moment a star walked the red carpet
Shaadi No. 1: The venue was done up like a mandap with about a ton of flowers. The heroes arrived on horseback, like bridegrooms