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Boom hot on international circuit
Manisha Deshpande
Gala premiere in London on July 16
he publicity blitzkrieg unleashed by the producer and overseas distributors of Boom at the recent Cannes festival, has no doubt sent its already steep budget skyrocketing. But it has paid off in a big way too, making the film hot on the international circuit. Close on the heels of a record deal with FTV, the film was sold at an exceptional price in six other territories, Hungary, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Western Europe. But the icing on the cake, according to Sanjay Jumani of Sunstone Entertainment, the overseas distributor of the film, is the price it fetched for Western Europe—$200,000 $. “It is an incredible price by all means, considering that a majority of films have a difficult time finding buyers in Western Europe,” says Jumani. He is planning to have a major overseas release, looking at 200 prints the world over. “Going by the kind of demands we are getting, we may even go in for a larger print order,” he adds.
The event Jumani is looking forward to is the gala premiere of the film in London on July 16. The event will be jointly organised by him and producer Ayesha Shroff. “We decided on London because there are more than 7 lakh Asians there who are absolutely crazy about Bachchan. Some of the best names on the international scene marking their presence felt. Bo Derek has already confirmed her attendance,” Jumani reveals.
According to him and Ayesha Shroff it was the aggressive build-up at the Cannes festival that succeeded in drawing international attention to Boom. “We made sure that the film was the focal point of attention, whether it was on the centrespread and back pages of Variety magazine for ten consecutive days, the digital-cut outs of Bachchan or the slick promos,” says Ayesha Shroff. “No doubt it was an added investment but it made the difference,” Jumani concurs.
Ayesha is also excited about the deal with Fashion TV which she says is likely to make a big difference in the curiosity the film sparks off the world over. “A 3-minute capsule is being aired currently on FTV six times a day to 120 countries and 500 million viewers. Boom is the first Indian film considered to be worthy of such attention,” she beams.
The film’s big asset which they are banking though is Bachchan’s characterisation in an all-new role of a humourous don. He is expected to have the audience in splits. Says Jumani, “The 2-minute Dolby trailors drew a gasp from sections of the audiences. Amitabh has never looked so flamboyant on screen in the recent past. The Asian audiences worship him as a legend and are delighted to see him in a new look.”
Ayesha is reveling in the attention the film has been getting. “It shows that no matter what is its budget and constraints, a film has to be able to stand up to scrutiny from over the world, a test Boom has passed even before its release,” she smiles.
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