The highly-anticipated Bollywood movie ‘Ghoomer’ made its theatrical debut on 18th August 2023. Starring Saiyami Kher and Abhishek Bachchan, the movie is a sports survival drama revolving around a young batting prodigy Anina, who loses her right hand in an accident. An eccentric former cricketer provides hope for her future, and together, they invent a new style of bowling.
R.Balki helmed Ghoomer hit movie screens along with Gadar 2. In spite of facing tough competition at the box office, the movie has managed to gain much appreciation, with people hailing it to be Abhishek and Saiyami’s career-best performances. IMDB rated the movie a 9.5/10.
The movie raked in more than INR 4 Crores at the end of its first week. In order to market the movie, makers relied heavily on social media and the Bachchan star power. Here is how they put both to good use.
1. Trailer launch
The movie’s trailer was launched on 4th August at an event held in Mumbai. The director promised the movie’s climax to be an interesting one, adding that shooting the particular portion was one of the most riveting experiences in his life.
A snippet of the event was posted on social media.
2. The #GhoomerangChallenge
A trend #GhoomerangChallenge was initiated by the cast to create buzz around the movie and also raise audience engagement. The challenge invited people to make a video of themselves revolving in circles and then trying to catch a ball.
Excerpts from an event that had many people participating in this challenge was shared on social media.
3. Leveraging Cricket
Ghoomer’s cast and members of the media and paparazzi indulged in a friendly cricket match, that had special rules. The match had five overs each side, where every over post the first was played using only one hand.
4. Interviews and Television Appearances
R.Balki, Saiyami and Abhishek Bachchan were interviewed by a number of popular channels like IMDb, Bollywood Hungama, Zoom, ETimes, and Mashable India.
Apart from interviews, the cast also made appearances on popular television shows like Kaun Bangea Crorepati and India’s Best Dancer.
5. Social Media Engagement
Using social media to its fullest potential, the cast of the movie used their accounts on social media, building intensifying buzz around the film and its release.
Reels exciting reels were regularly posted, hinting towards the release of the film. One had Abhishek Bachchan and Saiyami in AI generated images, the other had Bachchan Junior asking viewers to “Get your shot and show timings right, as #Ghoomer is almost here!”. A third one had the actor waiting for the third umpire’s decision.
6. The Australian Connection
Before the movie saw an Indian release, the film premiered at the Indian Film Festival (IFF) of Melbourne at its 14th edition.
The cast shared snippets of the same on their social media accounts.
Conclusion
Makers of the movie utilized the power of social media to its fullest capacity. Social media accounts of the cast were used to raise the level of excitement and Bachchan star power helped in spreading the word.
