Producer Vipul Shah (in the picture) may have initially laughed off the matter but he has now been advised by his team to seek legal action against the team behind the film Filmistaan.Vipul’s big-budget production Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty opens on the same day as Nitin Kakkar’s niche film Filmistaan on June 6. The marketing team of the latter has taken 'good-natured' digs at their big-budgeted rival.
Posters of Filmistaan carry tag lines like 'A good film is never off duty. Watch Filmistaan on June 6' and 'Don’t waste your time on a holiday.'
"What can I say? asks Vipul Shah. "The audience is too smart to fall for such blatant self-promotion at the cost of another film."
Point out to him that such rivalry from Friday foes was unheard of, and Vipul agrees: “Yes,
I am taken aback by the ferocity of the competitive expression. I’d never resort to such upfront propaganda for my film because I know it won’t work.'
Vipul says he is willing to see the lighter side of the rivalry, though others in his team are not amused. “Personally speaking, I am even willing to lend my film’s logo to their hoardings if it helps them get an audience. But not everyone in our team is willing to take things so lightly. If pushed further, we may have to resort to legal remedies.”
Filmistaan director Nitin Kakkar washes his hands off the below-the-belt publicity saying, “The marketing of Filmistaan is being handled by UTV Spotboy and they’d be the best people to talk about it. All I would like to say is, every good film should do well.”
Photograph: Pradeep Bandekar
Photograph: Pradeep Bandekar
