The effort to stand out in the film industry is making film-makers and production houses go all out, and why not? After all, it's not just about reaching the finishing line but winning as well. And film merchandising is turning out to be that one trump card with a Midas touch.

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Film merchandising is very big at the moment, a mammoth example would be Shah Rukh Khan's Ra.One. Shailja Gupta, head, digital and merchandising, Red Chillies Entertainment, feels that there's a growing demand from youngsters for products that are at par with Hollywood films like Spiderman and Iron Man.

"Bollywood has tried a spattering of merchandising before but somehow, none of it did well โ€” maybe, the way it was executed or the company that bought the merchandising rights was to be blamed for it. And with the standard and variety of Hollywood merchandise available in the Indian markets now, expectations are bound to be high," she explains.

Both Shah Rukh and his production house wanted to fill up a certain void that exists in this segment and yet, not compromise on quality. Shah Rukh's passion for films is a driving force behind the ingenuity of Ra.One.

The actor says, "I have always loved collecting memorabilia of my favourite films and am hoping that for our films too, if people like them, they should have the option of collecting good quality merchandise."

"For Ra.One, back-to-school, miscellaneous and cool gadgets merchandise, we have let out the license to different companies. For instance, since G.One draws his energy from the sunlight and is environmentally friendly, we thought of a range of high-end solar charged power decks. Of course, there are the regular magnets, danglers and toys. G.One will be soon converted into a superhero for kids and we are trying to build a franchise property of the character. To increase its shelf life, we are also developing a free social game that will be integrated with a digital comic book. For women and kids who want to take it easy, there will be a casual and relaxed game with a miniature G.One," informs Shailja, adding, "We also plan to publish a shorter version of the digital comic book, have a simpler version of the game on DTH services and a game for feature phones."

When actor Dino Morea's film and celebrity merchandise website, www.coolmaal.net was launched, he wanted to reach out to a film-crazy audience. "And the demand just increases. For instance, during Dabangg, we had an entire collection of tees, watches and shades, the Chulbul Pandey line. We tied up with a multiplex chain so that the merchandise was an extension of the viewers' movie going experience," Dino recollects.

Coolmaal has also tied up with certain production houses to store film memorabilia and autographed products and Dino prefers the online format. "It's less risky โ€” if the film is a success, then the products are a hit but if the film fails, then the entire effort goes to waste when it comes to a retail format. Moreover, unorganised retail accounts for almost 90% of the market share and a lot of things need to be set right," says the actor.

But he does agree that merchandising is a new avenue that needs to be tapped intelligently. "Everyone wants a slice of a successful film. Moreover, if the merchandise is cool and has some utility value, even better," he ends.