Way back in 2008, Aamir Khan had got the ushers of a multiplex chain to sport the Ghajini look to promote his upcoming film, during the release of Shah Rukh Khan's film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. This time, it's Akshay Kumar who will be piggybacking on the super success of his contemporary Salman Khan's Ek Tha Tiger, to promote his upcoming production venture OMG Oh My God!. The makers of the film have adopted a unique marketing strategy of placing donation boxes - similar to the ones you see in temples - at two multiplexes in the city. The boxes read - 'Have you bribed God today?'
Vikram Malhotra, COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures explains: "OMG is a film with mass appeal. It is for people who believe in God and those who don't. So we decided to engage the audience in a manner that is thought-provoking. We placed these daan petis (donation boxes) so that people can go back with the message - 'Aren't you really bribing God to get a wish fulfilled?' A wish could range from good exam scores to college admissions to marriages. Donation and prayers are offered with an objective rather than solely out of devotion. That is one of the things that the film addresses."
The boxes have received coins, notes from young girls looking for grooms and also notes from youngsters reading 'You cannot bribe God for anything'. The makers are excited by this response in city multiplexes and now plan to take the promotions to a national level. Malhotra adds, "We'll spread it across 15 cities and 80 properties and focus on multiplex chains that attract youth.”
OMG Oh My God!, starring Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Mithun Chakraborty, is about Kanji Mehta (Paresh Rawal), an atheist, who sues God because an earthquake destroys his antique shop. Amidst his legal tussles, he runs into Krishna Vasudev Yadav (played by Akshay Kumar), a man who claims to be God. What follows is a journey of epic proportions, of self-realization and legal masterstrokes.
The film, written and directed by Umesh Shukla, is based on the popular Hindi play 'Kishan vs Kanhaiya' and is set to release on September 28.
