MUMBAI: If you can't beat them, join them — this seems to be Bollywood's new mantra as cricket fever casts its spell over India. Forced to take a break from releasing films because of the ongoing cricket World Cup, Bollywood producers are now using the sport to promote their films. Fox Star Studios' “Dum Maaro Dum” had its music launch in the middle of a Nagpur stadium full of cricket-crazy fans, just hours after Sachin Tendulkar had scored a century in a match against South Africa. The film's stars, including Abhishek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu were at the match, cheering India and promoting their film, a thriller that revolves around the tourist paradise of Goa and the drug trade. “The best way to strike a chord with the nation at the moment is through cricket. We were able to reach out to the maximum number of people,” says Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studios. There haven't been any major film releases since mid-February, ever since the start of the cricket World Cup, which India is hosting along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Traditionally, Bollywood releases dry up during March, which is considered a bad time to release a film, given that school children are busy with exams and families are less likely to step out for movies. This year, the World Cup and later the IPL season, has meant Bollywood will have few big releases until June, but producers seem to have found a way to piggyback on cricket. Several Bollywood releases, including “Ready” (starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor) which is scheduled for a September release and “Housefull 2”, scheduled for a 2012 release are also eyeing the World Cup as a marketing platform. “Housefull 2” already has an ad running during matches, featuring film stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and John Abraham cheering on the Indian team. “Producers aren't just sticking to just ads, they will make sure that their films are visible on every platform that is being used in the World Cup, because there is no way they will have the undivided attention of so many people at any other place,” says trade analyst Vajir Singh.
