Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra’s promotional campaign for Param Sundari has left fans unimpressed, with many calling their interactions “fake” and overly scripted. The duo’s rehearsed approach has sparked disappointment.
Even though Bollywood promotions are often geared toward generating hype, an overly polished or forced selling is detected by audiences instantly. The same fate met Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra’s newest promotional campaign for their upcoming project Param Sundari, leaving many fans disappointed.
Janhvi Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra Scripted Promotions for Param Sundari
Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth, known for their charm and strong-base fan following, promoted Param Sundari through scripted interactions. Fans felt the chemistry between the two was not spontaneous, rather fore-taught, and except for the rare instance of prompting the host, they proceeded with everything under extreme control: social media clips, interviews, and even some kidding around. One ends up taking away from all the joy of watching, especially when the viewers were expecting some back-and-forth chemistry between the stars.
Fans: A Disappointed Audience
Reeling in comparison, social media was rife with reactions, mostly from users who stressed the “mechanical” nuances of exchanging dialogues between the two stars. Some compared their antics to promotions done in the past by other Bollywood stars where the impromptu style used to rule the roost in natural humor with relatable behind-the-scenes gossip. The disappointment came from being overshadowed by a scripted campaign built on two star personalities that individually have such realm of charisma.
The Need for Authenticity in the Present-Day
Somebody once said that audiences can smell a rat. But Bollywood promotion has to be creative and entertaining to engage potential audiences. Being bold and funny on independent platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and other streaming apps has become a new promotional tool for the film industry. The expectation is that stars now need to be more real and accessible. Sometimes it appears to be counterproductive since sticking to a rehearsed script runs the risk of alienating the very audience the stars wish to woo. While, the promotions generated enough talk for sure, shame it was not much for Param Sundari.
Lost Opportunity for Real Chemistry
Both Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra had the ability to connect heart-to-heart with their fans. Sidharth’s charm and relatability with Janhvi’s maturing acting skills could have easily paved a way for organically born promotional events. Instead, the over-reliance on staged dialogues diminished their chemistry to a point that fans wondered whether the movie itself carried the same flavor of overproduction.
Takeaways for Bollywood Marketing
This relatively sour response marks a wider change in Bollywood marketing, from what it once was. The market has shifted away from beta publicity grandstanding to attract an audience’s attention, Bollywood’s idea for a marketable film must now include oddities considered likely to bring a negative effect into the fore. The interview itself should reveal levels of fun, lightheartedness, and perhaps even a dash of vulnerability. Through random challenges, behind-the-scenes bloopers, or unscripted Instagram Lives, they would thirst for a peek into these stars’ real ways of being.
Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra’s promotional strategy for Param Sundari might have grabbed eyeballs, but it also reminds that audiences crave authenticity over polish. While the film itself may still deliver on the big screen, its pre-release campaign would have benefited from just a hint of spontaneity. In times where a fan wants their star to act all real off-screen just like they do on-screen, Bollywood sorely needs a rethink about its way ahead with promotion.