NEW DELHI: Producers and film-makers have recently been coming up with rather unusual ideas to market their films. Not long ago, actor Vidya Balan was seen promoting her film Kahaani in a pregnant avatar and more recently, actor Arjun Kapoor did a promotional interview for his film Aurangzeb in a double role. This time, it’s film-maker turned actor Farhan Akhtar who has gone a step further with his marketing strategy. The actor will be offering his fans a chance to run along with him in a mini marathon that he will organise ahead of the release of his upcoming movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
The three to five kilometers marathon will be hosted in four cities including Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. The idea of hosting a marathon fits well with the film that is essentially based on an athlete’s life. Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag will release on July 12 and is basically a biopic on the Indian athlete Milkha Singh played by Farhan Akhtar. The movie is co-produced by Mehra and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures.
“The curiosity to see Farhan running a marathon is at its highest. He has been able to transcend boundaries and has become the Milkha Singh of celluloid,” said a spokesperson from Viacom 18 Motion Pictures in a statement.
The actor went through intensive physical training in order to get a chiseled body like that of an athlete. His fans seem extremely eager to watch the actor run live. “Ever since the promotions started, everyone has been asking Farhan about the practice that went into playing the role of Milkha Singh. That’s why the makers have decided to give the audiences a chance to watch him run a marathon and participate with him,” said a source. “Many school and college students will be running with Farhan. They were selected via contests held recently by the makers of the film,” the source added.
The film was recently in the news for rumors relating its ban in Pakistan. The film’s release seems to be caught up in a lot of uncertainty due to the holy month of Ramadan and the implementation of new taxes on films. The film also features Sonam Kapoor in the main lead and Pakistani singer Meesha Shafi.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2013.
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