Yesterday marked two major events. One was the IPL Finale and the other was, the trailer launch of Laal Singh Chaddha. There is no doubt that Aamir Khan is a marketing genius and the buzz he creates is incomparable.
Although the film is scheduled for an August 11 release, the trailer is live and is garnering polarising opinions.
This thing takes us back to memory lane when Radhe Shyam’s trailer was released. Just like Laal Singh Chaddha, it was a giant film and the launch event was illustrious.
But when the trailer arrived, the majority immediately despised it and we all know the fiasco Radhe Shyam came out to be.
The condition of Laal Singh Chaddha isn’t that bad because people are not unhappy with the trailer per se. The dissatisfaction arises when those people who have watched Forrest Gump start comparing the trailer.
There is no doubt that the trailer could be leaps and bounds better. The film lacks originality and one couldn’t notice anything original apart from a train journey. In the original, Tom Hanks tells his story on a bench while Aamir is doing that in a train bogey.
It is painful to see Aamir Khan in a movie where screenwriters didn’t put any effort into making the film different. We always expect originality and creativity from him which is simply missing.
Also, it is childish to believe that Aamir Khan would approve of a trailer which hides the positive sides of his film. Thus the question arises.
Will Laal Singh Chaddha meet Radhe Shyam’s fate?
As of now, it doesn’t seem so.
Yes, it’s a remake and perhaps a frame to frame remake. But, the number of people who have watched Forrest Gump isn’t too great to make it a fiasco.
Yes, those who have watched Forrest Gump may find the film unbearable but a lot of people may enjoy it. It all depends on how the film is executed.
Seeing the response, Aamir Khan and his team need to play some serious marketing game otherwise polarising opinions usually don’t help at the box office, especially in these times.