‘Scream… and the world will listen‘ – so goes the adage. It can’t be about being subtle and still making your voice heard. That has never been the case; that won’t be the case either in near future at least. Ranveer Singh has pretty much shown that if someone wants to make it all count while just being himself, it is possible, even if bestowed with the superstar status. One would have thought that the Ram Leela star would only become further inaccessible after Gunday. However, his Bang Bang dare jig on a busy Mumbai street with Main Aisa Kyun Ho blazing on opened many a eye.
The collective consensus seems to be that if you want to make it happen, just go for it, and you can indeed turn heads without too much trouble. Aamir Khan has been time and again successful in this, and he has managed to do so all over again for his P.K.
Considering the Bang Bang dares were so well-received and worked in the film’s favour, here is a look at 5 other celebrities who’ve made a mark with their campaigns:
Aamir Khan – P.K.
For the promotion of 3 Idiots, Aamir Khan started traveling to different cities in a disguise and challenged people to spot him. The curiosity was set up well. Later, for Dhoom 3, he and his buddy Salman Khan came together where the latter decided to wear former’s trademark hat on Bigg Boss. There was quite some friendly banter exchanged which fetched good media attention. Now he has gone nude for P.K. and is even seen dancing to the tune of Tharki Chokro. Has he been successful in garnering attention? You bet!
Alia Bhatt – Genius of the Year
From being Student of the Year to being termed as the ‘dumbest of the lot’ to now being hailed as ‘Genius of the Year‘, Alia Bhatt has gone through a roller coaster ride (almost literally) in her two year stint so far. With a specially designed spoof video which ultimately hails Alia as a beauty with brains, a lot of damage control has been done with style and humor. It may not have technically been a campaign, but it still worked. Have the jokes stopped? Naah, but then Alia is in news!
Vidya Balan – Kahaani, Ghanchakkar, Bobby Jasoos
Meanwhile, Vidya Balan has tried to follow the adage of ‘wearing the garb of the character’ quite literally. For her Kahaani, she decided to pretend to be pregnant for all media events and even flashed the card for her ‘missing husband’. It worked, but what didn’t work was her garish Punjabi housewife appearance for Ghanchakkar. For Bobby Jasoos, she launched her blog Bobby Ko Sab Malum Hai where she promised to share exclusive Bollywood news and gossip.
Manisha Koirala – Criminal
Bhatts are known to scream aloud, though! 20 years ago, when Mahesh Bhatt‘s Criminal was gearing up for release, a newspaper cried ‘Manisha Koirala murdered’. The word ‘advertisement’ didn’t feature anywhere and shocked commuters were led to believe that Manisha had been gruesomely killed. The clarification came later, and no one was amused.
Mahesh Bhatt – Aashiqui
There was a much sweeter gimmick that Mahesh Bhatt attempted a few years before Criminal when no faces were shown in Aashiqui hoardings all over the city of Mumbai. With a young couple tucking under a jacket while suggesting a kiss (a big deal back then in the ’90s), many a heart was heard beating aloud. The ploy worked and Rahul Roy as well as Anu Aggarwal were instant (though one film) wonder.