Film promotion is a test of patience: Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan, who is currently busy promoting his film 'Aladin', says that movie promotion is not only an art but also a test of one's patience.

"Promotions of films has now become an art, an exercise in management, a test of patience and an ability to be able to answer the same questions in and out with the same intensity and conviction that you may have expressed in the previous interview," Amitabh posted on his blog.

Amitabh also said that he admires journalists relentless pursuit for exclusives.

"They are all around you waiting in anticipation for their turn to arrive, to be able to turn on their microphones and cameras, to put on that TV anchor demeanour and strike out. I have admired their relentless pursuit for that exclusive, their determined effort to get something out of their subjects which has not been covered by the other rivals, present merely inches away," he wrote.

Further praising journalists, he wrote: "The speed with which they (journalists) all operate is incredible. How they devise the look of the interview, what would need to be shown as a clip to enhance the program, the reference material of the past, the music and the editing of the material they have, the headlines that need to be created and then finally the presentation on the broadcast.

"...But there is never ever a complaint, an objection to a delayed request and neither is there need to bring out competition at the street level. There is a deep understanding and respect for each other. A desire to share information and to see that it is disseminated in a manner that would be the requirement of their seniors."

Releasing Friday, 'Aladin' is the modern version of the fantasy story and also stars Riteish Deshmukh and Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandes.

'Aladin is like old wine in a new bottle'

With Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt coming together in his new film Aladin, director Sujoy Ghosh does not expect to go wrong. Adding to the cast is the hilarious Ritesh Deshmukh and Miss Sri Lanka Jacqueline Fernandez.

Sujoy tells Nithya Ramani why he's confident that Aladin will be a hit like his first film Jhankaar Beats.

What is Aladin about?

It is my take on the old story. I would call it a smart take because I want to tell people that we have talent in India and we need to use it to the maximum to be on par with Hollywood films.

Aladin has been made on an epic scale, set within a world that the audience haven't seen. A lot of homework and pre-production has gone into this. In my films like Jhankaar Beats and Home Delivery, I could afford to be creative on the sets but not with a film like Aladin. Everything was well planned and we knew what exactly we wanted and how.

The protagonist of the film happens to go by the name of Aladin. He's so frustrated with his name that he starts hating lamps because his peers constantly tease him. But one fine day, he decides to get a lamp and out comes a genie. It's hard for him to believe that this can happen.


Image: A scene from Aladin

I get angry, but I don't show it: Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan has learnt to live with controversies. But India's biggest star admits they sometimes get under his skin -- and when that happens he says he takes care not to show his irritation, particularly before the media.

"For celebrities, when you create a controversy, it happens and even when you don't create one, it still happens. Like if I sneeze, it can cause a controversy; if I don't, then also it causes one," Bachchan told us in an exclusive interview.

"We (celebrities) have to live with that (controversies). I have accepted that controversies are bound to happen with me. I do get angry about it at times but we don't let it show - not in front of the media at least," added the 66-year-old thespian who will soon be seen as host of the third season of the reality show 'Bigg Boss' that features a bunch of celebrities locked into a house.

The subject of many controversies, big and small, Bachchan seems to often vent his ire in his blog, which he labels a "revelation".

The blog has become almost an obsession, says the star candidly.

"It (my blog) has been a great revelation. It's a medium where I can talk to myself. It has now become almost like an obsession and it's not so much because I want to express myself but the fact that I better express myself now there are hundreds of people who wait to read what I'm going to do, what I am thinking and then they comment on it," he said.

He added that he would be going back to update his blog as soon as the interviews with the media were over.

Bachchan, whose forthcoming projects include Sujoy Ghosh's 'Aladin', R. Balakrishna's eagerly-awaited role-reversal drama 'Paa' and Leena Yadav's 'Teen Patti', was in the capital for the launch of 'Bigg Boss' that goes on the air Sunday

It Promises to a Dhamakedar Diwali

Diwali is still some time away but the lineup at the box office for the festival week has already been set. In fact, according to reports, there are four films which are set to create a dhamaka at the box office. Leading the race will be films like the Sanjay Dutt Akshay Kumar starrer 'Blue', followed by 'Aladin', 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna' and 'All The Best'.
The promos of 'Blue' have already hit the screens and it promises to be quite a thrilling experience. Eros too has started their promotions for Sujoy Ghosh's 'Aladin', which stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Ritesh Deshmukh. Following these films is Rohit Shetty's 'All the Best' and Prem Soni's Salman Khan Kareena Kapoor starrer 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna'. But there have also been rumors doing the rounds that the last two of these films will back out from a Diwali release. But nobody, as in no producer, seems to be in a mood to even concede the thought that they may back out from releasing their film on October 16. Prem Soni, the director of 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna' has already stated the stars of his film have blocked dates for the film's promotion 20 days prior to the film's release. As for 'All The best', its producers, Kumar Mangat and Ajay Devgan are all geared up to create a Diwali dhamaka at the box office. If all four films release as planned on October 16, it promises to be a Diwali full of dhamaka.

First Look: Amitabh Bachchan's 'Aladin'

Director Sujoy Ghosh on 'Aladin': "The film is unlike any other movie seen before on the Indian screen.'Aladin' will be a visual treat. It will be like eating ice-cream with your eyes".

The movie stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Juhi Chawla and Sameera Reddy.

'Aladin' will release on October 18, 2009.