KOCHI: By the time Mammootty-starrer Maamangam hit the screens last month, most of us knew quite a lot about the much anticipated movie. Be it the monstrous sets or how each actor prepped to play his part, trivia about the big-budget outing was all over the social media. Not just Maamangam, every other flick that hit the marquee over the last few years was well promoted, thanks to M-Town’s new-found penchant for marketing. From a few televised interviews and print advertisements, film marketing has taken a new route altogether, making promotions and publicity an inevitable part of the creative process. And, Athira Diljith is one of the prominent names in film marketing realm today. From her debut work Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (2017) to the latest Maamangam (2019), Athira has proved to be adept hand in movie marketing, a fact evident from her soaring career graph.
A big start
High after the success of Maamangam, Athira who is focusing on her next Mohanlal-starrer Big Brother, says it all began when she met producer Sophia Paul of Weekend Blockbusters for an advertisement she was working on. “Sophia Paul told me about their new release Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol and asked whether I could do its promotions. I took it up and soon we were working for the audio launch. I remember hosting the entire event on a vineyard theme and it worked well. It was a chance meeting that set the ball rolling and three years since, the journey has been gratifying,” says Athira, who was a radio jockey before venturing into movie marketing.
A gratifying journey
Her stint in the industry has been an edifying experience; she says staying updated is the key. “My husband Diljith and I strive to come up with fresh ideas for each project we undertake. We discuss how to make maximum use of a medium and the strategy we need to adopt for each movie. The way we approached Maamangam may be different than Big Brother. In that way, the concept of movie marketing is an ever-evolving process,” says Athira.
So, what makes a good publicist? Athira says marketing is a dicey field and one has to be alert. “Irrespective of the film’s budget, marketing it in the right way is important. We need to be updated about things around us and need to be extremely sensitive about what to place where. There is no general rule and one has to keep a tab on changing trends,” she adds. Having witnessed the changing trends in film making over the last few years, Athira says promotions and publicity have come a long way. “A lot has changed over the years. Kerala is not a small market anymore. A case in point is Telugu actor Vijay Devarkonda and team spending three days exclusively for promotions in Kerala for the movie Dear Comrade,” she adds.
The Maamangam experience
Maamangam, for Athira Diljith, was an enthralling experience. By the time the movie hit the screens, there was enough hype surrounding it, thanks to innovative publicity. Says Athira,”When we decided to release the first-look poster, we opted to do it uniquely. While the trend otherwise was to flash it across through social media, we went the traditional route and decided to give a full-page advertisement in newspapers. It worked wonders. A lot of effort went into making the movie and the promotions just reflected the same.”
Guinness record holder
Athira Dijith was also honoured with a Guinness World Records for her participation in the largest photo casting session which comprised 741 people as part of the movie Nethaji, a tribal language movie, which had producer Gokulam Gopalan in the lead role.
