Inside ‘Amaran’s’ Marketing: How Audiences Embranced the Movie
I watched ‘Amaran’ at PVR Sathyam in Royapettah during its second weekend after release, and the theatre was completely packed. When the movie’s title sequence began, there was heartfelt applause upon seeing Major Mukund Varadarajan’s photo displayed alongside some text. At that moment, I felt that the audience’s reaction reflected all the buzz and positive reviews the film had been receiving since its release. Upon deliberating about the buzz and response later, I also felt that the marketing strategy for the movie by Raaj Kamal Films International (RKFI), Sony Pictures Films India and Turmeric Media had a big hand in generating such an enthusiastic response.
You know, Tamil Cinema doesn’t serve up biopics often. And when we do get one, the marketing usually focuses on all the behind-the-scenes stuff instead of the actual story being told. Take ‘Soorarai Pottru’ for example. It’s about Captain GR Gopinath, the person who started Air Deccan, a budget airline aimed at appealing to middle-class travellers. The movie is an inspirational and emotional drama, but I don’t remember its pre-release marketing materials emphasizing it enough. A couple of strategies were touching it upon albeit in a way the core idea being diluted. One was when 100 underprivileged kids were taken along with Suriya aboard a Spicejet Boeing 737 aircraft to launch the movie’s song, ‘Veyyon Silli’. Another strategy was a guerrilla marketing stunt, wherein a board featuring the autographs of thousands of Suriya’s fans for ‘Soorarai Pottru’ was fastened to an unmanned high-altitude balloon that seemed to have flown 35 km above the earth. Both attracted attention but did not emotionally make one connect with the movie’s core idea. I consider these strategies to have diluted the movie’s core idea because they put the movie’s lead star at the front instead of emphasizing the experience / the emotion that the movie will offer.
Now, coming back to Amaran. Tamil audiences embraced the movie like never before in recent memory. The emotional bonding started, grew well, and was firmly established mainly because of how the movie was positioned and marketed.
Setting expectations for the film featuring Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role:
When a Sivakarthikeyan movie is announced, audiences typically expect a blend of drama with plenty of fun and entertainment. The producers of ‘Amaran’ had made their intentions clear regarding the type of film they were creating with Sivakarthikeyan. This clarity has been evident in their marketing campaign so far.
The marketing campaign for the movie officially began with the announcement of ‘Netflix Pandigai 2024’. On January 17, during the Pongal 2024 celebrations, Netflix India revealed its line-up of nine films that will be part of the streaming platform’s licensed content for the year. Among these films is Amaran’, which was initially announced under the working title ‘SK21’.
The above post’s copy used words like “battle”, which captures the movie’s essence. This approach of selecting precise language to reflect what the movie offers has been consistent throughout all marketing content so far.
As a follow-up, a month later, on the eve of Sivakarthikeyan’s birthday, February 17th, the movie was titled ‘Amaran’, and its first look, showcasing Sivakarthikeyan’s muscular appearance, was released.
The beefed-up look was captivating at the time, as Sivakarthikeyan had never appeared in such a way before. Until then, unofficial content showcasing his unprecedented demeanour had been circulating online.
On the same date, Sivakarthikeyan announced on social media that he would be portraying the character Major Mukund Varadarajan in the film ‘Amaran’. This marked the first official announcement regarding his role in the movie.
Apart from his demeanour, information about his role in Amaran was also circulating online. The above post of Sivakarthikeyan confirmed the same.
Fans of actor Vijay began sharing a photo of Vijay and Major Mukund Varadarajan’s daughter that had been posted on social media around 2014.
On the very next day, which was also Sivakarthikeyan’s birthday, RKFI revealed a poster featuring the actor in an Indian Army outfit.
In this way, RKFI utilized the early stages of the pre-release marketing phase of ‘Amaran’ to communicate to the audience what type of Sivakarthikeyan film this would be.
On the occasion of Major Mukund Varadarajan’s 10th year of remembrance…
On the 10th anniversary of Major Mukund’s remembrance, which falls on April 25th, RKFI released a video titled ‘Saluting Major Mukund’. This video would have introduced him to new audiences while also helping others remember his legacy. It was a clever move by the team to incorporate the Indian cricket team’s 1983 World Cup victory as part of the video’s narrative.
Many prominent actors in Tamil cinema, who have substantial fan followings, often overlook the importance of announcing theatrical release dates well in advance. Even when they do announce these dates, they frequently fail to adhere to them. In contrast, RKFI demonstrated promptness with its planning for Sivakarthikeyan’s ‘Amaran’.
On July 17, 2024, RKFI announced that the theatrical release date of ‘Amaran’ is October 31, 2024, which coincides with Deepavali.
Content to market the fantastic and immersive action set pieces:
‘Amaran’ features fantastic and immersive action set pieces. After watching the movie, I understand why the creators released intriguing content for it. I find that the content serves as glimpses into the action sequences.
Here’s one such video…
After you watch the video, you can get to know Vishwaroopam’s soundtrack, ‘Anu Vidhaitha Boomiyile’ being used, and the context for its usage. ‘Vishwaroopam’ was also produced by RKFI. So, you understand the liberty in the song’s usage.
The video was re-shared on Independence Day i.e., August 15 along with a brand-new poster. Below is the post…
Coming back with content for the lead star…
A post from RKFI on 11th September showcased Sivakarthikeyan dubbing for a key segment of the movie that precedes an adrenaline-pumping sequence leading to the interval.
A promotional piece that provides a glimpse into the heart of ‘Amaran’:
On 27th September, an important piece of marketing content was released by the filmmakers—a video titled ‘Heart of Amaran’. This marked a significant turning point in the movie’s pre-release marketing phase, generating much more interest in the film. The video introduces the character ‘Indhu Rebecca Verghese’, played by Sai Pallavi in ‘Amaran’. I can’t recall the last time I encountered such a soothing promotional clip. It carried the promise of a much higher quality product within Sivakarthikeyan’s filmography. Sai Pallavi’s screen presence was captivating, and I hoped her role would be substantial. Having watched the movie now, I can say I am not disappointed.
The score was an instant hit and was released on Spotify on 30th September 2024.
It’s time for some spectacular events…
It has been a while since Tamil Cinema has seen spectacular events beyond the usual audio launches, meet-and-greet sessions, and success celebrations. The film ‘Amaran’ also held an audio launch, but its marketing campaign also featured an additional event titled ‘Amaran – An Introduction’. The team covered the event by producing bite-sized and succinct videos. They initially released each episode regularly by uploading them to the RKFI’s YouTube channel and sharing them on other social media platforms. Once they rolled out all the parts, they uploaded the complete episode to the channel.
This event marked one of the few marketing occasions for the movie in which Kamal Haasan participated. Additionally, it was the event where Indhu Rebecca Verghese officially joined the pre-release marketing phase of the film. Inviting her to participate in the event and involving her in the interactions was a brilliant move by RKFI. She was also a featured guest in the eight-part video series titled ‘Evolution of Amaran’, as well as at the star-studded audio launch held at Sairam Engineering College on 18th October 2024. The RKFI YouTube channel regularly uploaded the episodes of ‘Evolution of Amaran’, just like the videos from ‘Amaran – An Introduction’, and shared them on social media.
There was also a video that offered a glimpse into the lives of soldiers stationed at the border.
Consolidating the acknowledgements to a wide range of high-profile appreciations…
RKFI has been consolidating the numerous high-profile accolades it has received on its social media handle. Below is an account of the same:
Before its theatrical release, the movie was specially screened for Indian Army personnel and their families.
The Officer’s Training Academy honoured Sivakarthikeyan for his role as Major Mukund Varadarajan in ‘Amaran’.
The movie was screened at Air Force Station, Chennai.
The core theme of ‘Amaran’ resonates deeply across India, and its execution stays true to this theme. So, politicians from various parties in Tamil Nadu took time to watch and appreciate the film.
It all began when the movie was watched by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on the day before its theatrical release, 30th October 2024.
The team behind the movie ‘Amaran’ met with India’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, to receive his congratulations.
The list of politicians who also had watched and appreciated the team in person include, K. Selvaperunthagai (MLA and President of Tamil Nadu Congress party) and Seeman (Politician, actor, and former filmmaker).
RKFI was proud to announce that the people from army families from in and around Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhanagar district and Ranuvapettai, a village from Tamil Nadu’s Vellore district renowned for inspiring young recruits to join the Indian Army, watched the movie in theatres.
K R M public school from Perambur, Chennai and Velammal Nexus school from Mogappair East, Chennai screened ‘Amaran’ as an educational movie for their students and NCC Cadets.
Members of the film fraternity watched the movie and extended their wishes to the team. This included notable figures such as Rajinikanth, Sivakumar, Suriya, Prabhu, Jyothika, and Vikram Prabhu. The film was screened exclusively for the Tamil Nadu Film Directors Association. Celebrities like STR, Anirudh, Venkat Prabhu, Kalaippuli S. Thanu, K.E. Gnanavelraja of Studio Green, Archana Kalpathi, and Atlee took the time to share their congratulations on social media after watching the movie. RKFI was quick to capitalize on these timely opportunities to promote the film through their social media platforms.
Other notable marketing endeavours from the ‘Amaran’ team…
RKFI has made significant promotional efforts for their movie, including having Sivakarthikeyan appear on an episode of Bigg Boss Tamil. Additionally, Sivakarthikeyan, Sai Pallavi, and Director Rajkumar Periyasamy shared the stage with Nagarjuna in a Bigg Boss Telugu episode. The team participated in promotional events across India, including Madurai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Cochin, and Hyderabad, as well as internationally in Dubai and Malaysia.
One of the key advantages of these events is that the movie team focuses on sharing information directly related to what the film intends to showcase.
‘Amaran’ is a film that does not feature any peppy dance numbers but instead boasts soulful songs, which is one of its greatest strengths. The Telugu version of the song ‘Hey Minnale’, titled ‘Hey Rangule’ was released by the Telugu actor Nithin.
‘Ananda Vikatan,’ a leading Tamil weekly magazine, released a special issue titled ‘Amaran Special’ on November 6th. This issue helped spread awareness about the movie beyond the confines of social media.
Digital billboards promoting ‘Amaran’ were installed at railway stations, bus stops, and airports in various Indian cities. Together, these ads garnered 1.7 billion views per day.
A couple of days before the movie’s theatrical release, the ads below were rolled out in daily newspapers…
Gopi Prasanna’s posters were true to the movie’s offerings. Here’s a sample poster…
To add to the excitement, there was the trailer. Often, trailers set expectations that the movie fails to meet, but in the case of ‘Amaran,’ the film delivered on what the trailer promised. The trailer was released in five languages: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi. RKFI enlisted big names such as Kamal Haasan, Aamir Khan, Shiva Rajkumar, Nani, and Tovino Thomas to launch the versions of the trailers in their respective languages.
In conclusion, ‘Amaran’ from RKFI, Sony Pictures Films India, and Turmeric India (Marketing) serve as an exemplary case study for the positioning and marketing of biopics.
