Director Shreyas said he learned a lot from director Shah Rukh, who was committed to making Om Shanti Om the “biggest film of the year” and was willing to do whatever it took. In a conversation with Siddharth Kanan, Shreyas recalls the superstar's marketing acumen, odd hours of the day and night, and how Shah Rukh created new ways to promote his film just before its London premiere. He told an anecdote about how he came up with the idea. “The way he promoted his films was a big learning experience for me,” Shreyas said.
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He explained: “We were sitting in the bathroom together in a hotel room in London. Deepika was doing an interview outside. And the premiere was in the evening. And Shah Rukh was still thinking about the idea. He said, “You and I will dance on the red carpet and dazzle as many people as possible.” He never takes his stardom for granted. Of course people would come to the premiere, but he wanted to fight until the last moment to attract as many people as possible. Everything he did during the promotion was phenomenal. He was sitting on the pot and I was sitting on the bathtub. We were waiting for Deepika's interview to end. ”
Recalling another anecdote, Shreyas said that last night, as he was getting ready for work, he heard a knock on the door of his hotel room. When she opened the door, expecting room service for a bottle of water, to her surprise, Shah Rukh was there. “Bahar Hai Kade Rakega (Would you please invite me inside?) After Shreyas took a moment to get his bearings, Shah Rukh asked him. And Shah Rukh started rolling out the strategy for the next day's marketing strategy. “He had all the charts, from the time we had breakfast to the time we left for the press conference. Shah Rukh Khan had it in London at 11 o'clock at night for his movie. Someone from the PR team could have explained this, but he explained it himself,” Shreyas said.
“The best thing about him is that he has no confidence as an actor. He doesn't care about giving his co-stars a good punch. He knows who he is and what he's capable of. He doesn't care if you take the limelight away from him or land a few extra punches,'' Shreyas said. He also recalled what Shah Rukh said to him after the first day of shooting. “Shreyas, it's been a while since we had so much fun. I went home and told Gauri how much I enjoyed being with you,” Shah Rukh told him. Om Shanti Om Indeed, it was the biggest Bollywood film of 2007 and the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, grossing over Rs 150 million worldwide.
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Date first uploaded: September 5, 2024 13:00 IST
