Giving Away Just Enough, Holding Back Even More:

A Content Analysis of Promotional Strategies of Rajkumar Hiranis Films

By
Pratik Thakare, MA FS (Film Studies) I Semester
Department Of Communication and Journalism, University of Mumbai

Rajkumar Hirani is arguably Indias most successful filmmaker; both commercially and critically.
He is the editor, co-writer and director of films like Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) , Lage Raho
Munna Bhai (2006) and 3 Idiots (2009) - all of them blockbusters at box office. Hiranis films
have been considered milestones by many; and they stand apart from other films not only due
to the content but due to curiosity and excitement they generate during pre-release times. The
purpose of this study was to address peculiar, innovative and effective promotional strategies
used in Rajkumar Hiranis films. The promos/trailers/posters of all his films were pivotal in
generating incredible amount of pre-release buzz. The interest generated from promos was
followed by the films and all three of them have lived up to the expectations. Therefore,
Rajkumar Hiranis films are unique in more than one sense and the promotional strategies used
in his films provide the basis of this study.

INTRODUCTION
Before starting off his career as a director, Rajkumar Hirani had worked on promos and trailers
of Vidhu Vinod Chopras films - 1942: A Love Story (1994) and Kareeb (1998). He was also the
editor of Chopras Mission Kashmir (2000). Since both these films released in 90s when film
promotion was limited to theatrical trailers, Hiranis peculiar sense of making film promos went
unnoticed. Although his directorial ventures came out when film marketing and promotion had
become integral parts of film business. Therefore, it was not only the film itself, but the
promotion which made these films a pathbreaking success. It is noteworthy that during the
promotion of these films, not a single strategy used appeared unrelated or forced with respect
to the content of the films. From the use of bandages on the title Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. to the
hips-shaped chairs in cinema halls for 3 Idiots; in all these cases, promotional strategies for
these films cleverly assimilates the core elements from the films into their promotional
campaigns.

In many cases, the promotional strategy for a film only aims at creating fantastic ways to
persuade audience enter the theatre; but when analysed in retrospection, elements used in
promotion often turn out to be superficially patched and do not relate to the core theme of
the film. This is not the case with Rajkumar Hiranis films. Not only does his films do better on
box office, but they also have a long shelf life. This is due to the peculiar
elements/one-liners/themes that are portrayed in the films in such a way that they act as
promotional tools even after the film has completed its theatrical run. Gandhigiri, All iz well,
Jaadu Ki Jhappi, Millimeter-Centimeter, Chemical Locha are some of the examples.

PRIOR RESEARCH AND BACKGROUND

Current scenario of film promotion has numerous media tools at its disposal. Some of them
are:
THEATRES - Trailers, Posters, Standees, Slideshows, Cardboard 3D Displays
INTERNET - Trailers, Motion Posters, Social Media Marketing, Display Ads
TELEVISION/ RADIO - Trailers, TV Shows
PRINT - Cover Jackets, Paid News
MERCHANDISING - Brand Association, Games, Drink Cup Advertising, Toys
The analysis focuses on three films directed by Rajkumar Hirani - Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) ,
Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) and 3 Idiots (2009).
The first film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. entered the scenario with nothing more than the actor
Sanjay Dutts name to it. The film picked up slowly and an outstanding word-of-mouth turned
into a super hit. By the time the films theatrical run ended, phrases like Maamu, Jaadu Ki
Jhappi, Aye Circuit had become widely known. The film went on to win National Award for the
Best Popular Film.
The second film Lage Raho Munna Bhai was already a talking point when it was announced.
Releasing three years after Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., the film picked on the previous reputation
and another strong positive word-of-mouth meant it was back to back success for Hirani.
Although many expected a laugh riot, this was a more serious (but funny enough) and different
take on Munna Bhai as it featured Mahatma Gandhi as one of the important characters of the
film.
The third film 3 Idiots had more than one reason to garner eyeballs. Rajkumar Hirani had a
magnificent reputation to his name after two Munna Bhai films; while this film starred one of
the best-in-the-business: Aamir Khan. Also based on writer Chetan Bhagats bestseller Five
Point Someone, 3 Idiots had an ensemble cast of Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, R.
Madhavan, and Hiranis regular by then: Boman Irani. The film went on to become the highest
grossing Hindi film, thus an all-time blockbuster.

METHOD
The sample consists of trailers, teasers, promos of all three films of Rajkumar Hirani. The
analysis also considers the promotional strategies used during the time of release of each films.
The research includes views of general consensus: blogs, YouTube comments and audience
interview videos for analysing the impact these films and their promotional campaigns had on
audience.

ANALYSIS
MUNNA BHAI M.B.B.S.
Posters:
The first poster of Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. shows Sanjay Dutt wearing an apron and a stethoscope
and a medical equipment which Dutt uses like an earbud. The title appears on a prescription slip
(torn from a writing pad) and is apparently pasted on the poster using band-aids. The tag-line
says: No tension Apun Hai Na (No Tension, I am there). Poster two shows same pose of
Sanjay Dutt along with square photos of other characters in background. These characters are
Circuit (Arshad Warsi), Babuji (Sunil Dutt), Suman (Gracy Singh), Dr. Asthana (Boman Irani) and
others. The title appears in a similar style as the first poster. Poster three shows Sanjay Dutt
sitting between a group of doctors formally lined up for a photograph. Another poster shows
Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Dutt together. The posters effectively depict the theme of medical field.
The prescription slip used for the title is suggestive of the film being a dose for doctors.
Poster three interestingly gives away the plot point; while all doctors are wearing apron, Dutt
wears a casual orange shirt which symbolizes that he is the odd one out there. The tagline
resurfaces Sanjay Dutts character as the Bhai/Gangster with clever use of the word Apun.
Trailers:
The trailer of Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. showed Murli Prasad Sharma alias Munna Bhai (Sanjay Dutt)
as a gangster who sets out to fulfil his fathers dream of him becoming a doctor and shows him
dealing with the consequences. The trailer has some funny moments which shows Munna Bhai
and Circuit (both drunk) walking on the street. For the film to do well, it was important that
Dutts presence be backed by an interesting trailer. The trailer underlines two characters: Munna
Bhai and his father; and mainly presents the basic plotline of the film. The film was promoted as
the first film which had Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Dutt cast as father and son. Therefore, Sunil Dutts
character features for quite a time in the trailer to suggest that audience would be getting a lot
of father-son scenes. Although Sunil Dutt features in the film for a little time, he is nevertheless
an important character in the film.

LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI

Posters:
All the posters of Lage Raho Munna Bhai are stylized as postage stamps. The poster shows
Munna and Circuit (Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi) on a bike, excited. While Circuit is in his regular
black kurta and golden chain, Munna Bhai has a new look. Another poster shows Dutt and Vidya
Balan while Arshad Warsi in background. The location shown in the poster gives sense of
nostalgia from Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. The poster has an unclear image formed by the clouds in
the background. The film had Mahatma Gandhi as a central character and the plot of the film
was cleverly indicated through the image-in-the-clouds.
Trailer:
The trailer shows Munna Bhai and circuit, talking about getting respect. They talk about what
they would achieve if they were respected. The trailer does not reveals anything else but when
those two walk away, viewers are left with the same unclear image formed by clouds. This was
one of the iconic promotional ideas in Indian film industry - Mahatma Gandhis partially formed
outline in clouds.
3 IDIOTS
Posters:
The posters showed Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman sitting on hip-shaped chairs. It was one of
the element which was further used when such chairs were placed in cinema halls. The posters
background was scribbled with phrases like Success = Excellence, All Izz Well, Virus. Another
poster shows Aamir facing a green board scribbled with mathematical formulas while we can
only see his back. Another poster shows the three actors peeping from water tanks.
Trailer:
Prior to trailer, the song All Izz Well was launched which showed Aamir and other students
taking bath and singing the song. The trailer shows Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman sharing a
theory with the audience, the theory which defines the film - Life is a race. If you dont run fast,
somebody will outrun you. A minute after I was born, my father said, My son will be an
engineer Who did I want to be, nobody cared to ask! The trailer soon created a huge curiosity
as Rajkumar Hirani was back after two Munna Bhai films. While some thought he had taken up a
stiff challenge, others were purely excited about Aamir-Hirani collaboration.
Other:
Aamir Khan is considered one of the best minds in Hindi film industry when it comes to
promotion. From Ghajini haircuts to tattoos, Aamir had always come up with something
extraordinary. Since the story of 3 Idiots was about two friends finding their third friend, Aamir
disguised in various avatars and roamed around in different parts of the country. He also went
from one place to another, people who could track down or identify him would be given free
movie tickets. This was another innovative marketing tool used for promoting 3 Idiots.

FINDINGS
The analysis presents an outlook towards the success enjoyed by Rajkumar Hiranis films. Apart
from content, promotional strategies for his films have been well placed and cleverly used to
reveal just enough about the film but hold back much more so that the audience has a lot to
experience when they are watching the films in theatres. Unlike other films trailers, where big
exposition is given away in the trailer itself, Rajkumar Hirani playfully diverts audience's attention
to interesting subplots in his early trailers or first looks. This makes his films a different
experience altogether.
Motion Poster is a tool new to Indian film industry. Although there have been many attempts
at it in past, Rajkumar Hiranis next P.K. appears to be focussing especially on motion posters.
Three motion posters for P.K. have released by now. They reveal nothing about the plot and
just introduce the character to the audience. The first motion poster caused a controversy in
which Aamir Khans character stands on a railway track completely nude while a transistor hiding
the necessary part.
Therefore, Hirani who of all the processes of filmmaking loves editing, makes full use of it when
it comes to promos and trailers. One can only expect the unexpected and wait till Hiranis film
comes to entertain you.