Varalaxmi Sarathkumar kidnapping for film promotion: Bollywood debates the stunt

Tamil film publicist Nikkil Murugan sent Twitter into a tizzy on Tuesday, when he posted that Tamil actor Varalaxmi Sarathkumar had been kidnapped. He tweeted a picture of the actor gagged and tied to a bed, and captioned it : “#VaralaxmiGotKidnapped”.

Hours later, when panic levels were peaking, Sarathkumar tweeted a clarification saying it was all for a film promotion. “I’m absolutely fine.. thank u for ur concern..it’s a part of our movie promotion.. announcement at 6pm..!!” she wrote. The film’s team clarified through a tweet that it was a promotional stunt and Sarathkumar wasn’t aware of the move, but the backlash was already out there. The crew was slammed for trivialising kidnapping and using a crime to promote a film.

This incident comes just two months after the very real ordeal of a Malayalam actor, who was abducted and molested in a moving car. That may have made the outrage over Sarathkumar’s fake kidnapping fiercer.

Talking to HT City, Sarathkumar says that she wasn’t aware the team was pulling such a stunt. “I had no clue that such a tweet was being posted. I was in Delhi for a campaign at that very moment. It was only when I got a call telling me that something of this sort had happened, that I found out,” she tells us. “The crew had discussed this move earlier, and I had told them not to go ahead with it. But it’s done now. It’s okay, this is all a part of showbiz.”

However, the incident has thrown up the question: how far is too far when it comes to movie promotional gimmicks? Commenting on the stunt by Varalaxmi Sarathkumar’s film crew, Bollywood personalities and publicists debate whether faking a crime is the right way to catch the potential audience’s attention.

Everyone wants to sell their wares in a cluttered marketing space, but no one should do illegal things. - Vikram Bhatt

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt says, “Everyone wants to sell their wares in a cluttered marketing space, but no one should do illegal things. Promotions are about creating awareness. While such gimmicks may create some intrigue, it doesn’t do much for promotion.”

There’s a fine line that needn’t be crossed. - Richa Chadda

Actor Richa Chadda believes that the “all is fair in love, war and promotions” policy should stay within a limit. “People’s personal health and safety should not be compromised. There’s a fine line that needn’t be crossed,” she says.

Misleading anyone or creating a false perception is wrong. - Saqib Saleem

Actor Saqib Saleem is against using a falsehood to publicise a film or a show. “Misleading anyone or creating a false perception is wrong. People shouldn’t spread something untrue to promote a film. There are other ways to do that,” he says.

Film publicist Parag Desai says that ultimately it’s the film’s content that ensures a film’s success, rather than the publicity spike following such a gimmick. “There may be some buzz after such a gimmick, and the film may get some attention, but finally, it’s the content that works for a film,” he says.

Diksha Punjabi, another film publicist, however, says that while such a move may backfire, it may work, too. “People may not accept being fooled, but youngsters may also think that the filmmakers managed to pull of something really cool and crazy. In the end, it all depends on how much faith audiences have in a filmmaker,” she says.

Film publicist Abhishek Thukral feels that such gimmicks never assure a film’s success, they only inspire some memes. “There is a line that one needs to draw,” he says. “Such moves worked six or seven years ago; now people can tell bullshit and reality apart. And then memes follow really quickly.”