Ineffective: ‘Our industry follows set templates’

Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham believes word-of-mouth is most important when it comes to a film’s performance and that the industry follows set templates during promotions, which are often ineffective.

“I believe that if your film is good, it’ll work and if it’s not good, it will not. I just feel that the most important thing is word-of-mouth. So whatever we say about it, I think it’s the film that has to speak for itself,” IANS quoted the actor as saying.

“Like in advertising, there is a saying that 50% of what we spend is wasted but we don’t know what 50%. Similarly, during promotions, we don’t know what is effective and what is not effective. We follow a set template which, according to me, is very ineffective,” John said during a promotional event for his film Dishoom.

John, along with his co-stars Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez, has been promoting the film through trailer and song launches at various platforms such as reality shows, fitness events and colleges. When asked about promotions getting hectic, John said, “It’s hectic if you’re wasting your time but if you’re enjoying it, it’s not hectic. Varun and I have two different takes on it: he loves going out there and pushing it.”

The actor went on to speak of how different he is from Varun. “We are complete opposites but that’s why we get along so well. If I am busy somewhere, Varun will go and promote and if he is busy, I promote. It’s a relationship that relies on the unsaid and the audience understands. They see us and feel that the pair is special, fun, easy and not forced.”

Known for his honest approach, John recently made headlines by speaking about his middle-class upbringing and how he stays true to his roots, despite the position he has achieved in Bollywood. Present at the Sacred Heart School in Mumbai, John claimed that meeting children face-to-face helps them understand that stars are after all, just humans.

“With me coming to this school and sitting with the kids, they will feel, ‘He is our guy, he talks like us and he is a normal man and we can relate to him ... His values are quite middle class, just like ours.’”

John also shared some words of wisdom for children. “They like it as I belong to a middle class family, and I am still middle class. My values, my parents are very middle class. I would suggest the kids not to lose their value system.”

Acccording to him, there are three things that are very important in life. “First is education. Secondly, not giving bribes because there is a lot of corruption in this country and it is very important to eradicate it. Thirdly, remember that everyone is equal, no one is above or below, so treat everyone with respect.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2016.

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