Adipurush: From Seats 'Reserved' for Lord Hanuman to Free Tickets, a Look at Film's Unique Promotion

The advance booking of “Adipurush” is open, the makers announced on Sunday. Headlined by Prabhas, “Adipurush” is the big-budget feature adaptation of “Ramayana”. The multilingual period saga will hit the screens in 3D across the globe on June 16.

Directed by Om Raut, “Adipurush” also stars Kriti Sanon, Sunny Singh, Devdatta Nage, and Saif Ali Khan. The film will have its international premiere on June 13 at the 2023 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

The filmmakers have employed a number of unique marketing techniques to promote the film, one among which is to reserve a seat for Hindu god Hanuman in each theatre. The techniques have received a mixed response.

Reserving Seat for Lord Hanuman

Filmmaker Om Raut, who is preparing for the release of his upcoming film ‘Adipurush,’ said he holds a strong belief that Lord Hanuman, a prominent character in the Hindu epic Ramayana, is spiritually present whenever the epic is recited or depicted on Earth.

During a trailer event for the film in Tirupati, Raut made a request to the film’s producers. He asked them to reserve an empty seat in every theater where the film is screened as a gesture of honor to Lord Hanuman. This act symbolizes the reverence and acknowledgment of Lord Hanuman’s spiritual presence during the showcasing of the film ‘Adipurush,’ he said.

Following the request made by filmmaker Om Raut to reserve a seat for Lord Hanuman in every theater showing the film ‘Adipurush,’ there were reports suggesting that the cost of the reserved seat would be higher than regular seats. However, the movie’s production company, T-Series, took to Twitter on Monday to refute these claims.

In their tweet, T-Series clarified that the reports circulating in the media regarding the ticket pricing for ‘Adipurush’ were misleading. They stated that there would be no differences in rates for seats next to the one reserved for Hanuman. They urged people not to believe false information.

Screening of Trailer

Despite the fact that the effectiveness of having special screenings of films and trailers ahead of their public release is uncertain, Adipurush sailed through when it showcased the teaser of the film in Hyderabad in May.

According to a report by The Indian Express, producer Dil Raju had faced a setback when he organized a premiere show of the film Shaakuntalam four days before its theatrical release. This decision backfired as it generated negative word-of-mouth even before the film hit the screens.

However, in the case of the film Adipurush, the special screening of its trailer in Hyderabad worked in favor of the movie. The Adipurush team, including actors Prabhas and Kriti Sanon, along with director Om Raut, gathered for the trailer screening at a theater in Hyderabad. A large number of fans flocked to the venue to witness the trailer, and by the end of the screening, they enthusiastically cheered and chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram.’

Free Ticket Campaign

The filmmakers have also pledged to donate 10,000 free tickets for the film. These complimentary tickets will be distributed to government schools, orphanages, and old-age homes in Telangana. To facilitate the distribution process, the producer shared a Google Form link where interested individuals can avail themselves of these free tickets.

Unique Promotions in Bollywood

There was a time when Bollywood film promotion relied solely on traditional methods like trailers, posters, and hoardings. Filmmakers and actors are now embracing innovative and unique promotional strategies to capture the audience’s attention.

Aamir Khan took a different approach for the film “3 Idiots.” Playing a character that had been missing for years in the movie, he decided to go missing in real life as well. Aamir Khan announced a game of hide and seek, where he visited various locations in the country over a span of two weeks. Clues about his whereabouts were given to the public, with the first clue being revealed by Sachin Tendulkar. This unconventional promotional strategy turned out to be a risky yet successful gamble. In fact, “3 Idiots” went on to break the Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing Bollywood film ever, as per a report by Miss Kyra.

In the case of the film “Flying Jatt,” the team devised the “Beat Pe Booty” Challenge, which gained massive popularity among celebrities and social media users. The film’s song “Beat Pe Booty” became a sensation due to this challenge. It started with Bollywood friends being challenged and quickly spread to a larger audience. Fans from all over India and even overseas enthusiastically shared their videos participating in the challenge, making it a viral sensation.

About Adipurush

“Adipurush,” a highly anticipated Indian epic mythological film based on the Hindu epic Ramayana, is scheduled to release on June 16. The film has been simultaneously shot in Hindi and Telugu languages. It features a stellar cast including Devdatta Nage in the pivotal role of Hanuman, who plays a crucial part in the battle against Lankesh to rescue the abducted Janaki.

Alongside Devdatta Nage, the film stars Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan, and Sunny Singh in prominent roles. Sunny Singh portrays the character of Lakshmana, while Saif Ali Khan takes on the role of Lankesh (Ravana). The film also features Vatsal Sheth in the role of Indrajit.

“Adipurush” is produced by T-Series, with Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar as producers, along with Om Raut, Prasad Sutar, Rajesh Nair from Retrophiles, and Pramod and Vamsi from UV Creations.