Gone are the days when audio launches and premiere shows were a grand gathering with festoon cut-outs. Most stars and filmmakers these days are not banking on natty red-carpet dos either. They instead prefer jiving it out with young people.
Following Dhanush’s example of the Kolaveri flash mob in Mumbai, Bipasha Basu — whose upcoming movie is Jodie Breakers with none other than our Maddy — has opted for a flash mob at a suburban mall to promote her new movie.
Flash mob, an import from the West, captures the attention of people at a particular place when the members of the mob start dancing to a song in step.
A spokesperson from Express Avenue Mall, where many a flash mob has been organised, says “It’s quite captivating and interesting for the young consumers who come to the mall as most of them are influenced by Western culture. It instantly generates a lot of interest.”
Flash mobs, which have become a trend quite recently started when more than 70 youngsters from New College along with stars like Suhasini Mani Rathnam, director Manobala and Fathima Balu, created awareness for the Chennai International Film Festival by getting together and shaking a leg.
At the flash mob, actor Ganesh Venkatraman, who took part, says, “It was an out of the box idea and we just wanted to try something different for Chennai. The response was truly fabulous. I learnt that such events can garner a lot of goodwill since you’re so close to your fans and it’s an interactive.”
Simbu’s love anthem flash mob is in the making. UTV’s producer Dhananjayan shares, “Movies or songs which have gone viral can be converted to flash mobs and this will work in the lead up to the release. But if the film has no such spark, it’s difficult to sustain a crowd and these flash mobs will lose their value if overdone.”
