Sreenath Bhasi spat shows the ugly side of film promotions

Media channels are hungry for viral content while film stars are involved in relentless promotions. Where should they draw the line?

From stereotypical film interviews on traditional media, the film promotion strategy has taken a huge shift to social media platforms over the few years. The focus here is more on informal chit-chats than towards meaningful discussions as the pressure to produce ‘trending’ content is at an all-time high.

While most actors are adapting to the change, mainly due to professional compulsion, there have been instances where they have expressed displeasure to awkward questions albeit with due respect to the anchors.

But the Malayalam industry witnessed an ugly twist earlier this week when actor Sreenath Bhasi, one among the many new-gen actors, used filthy language at a woman anchor and crew of an online media house for asking ‘silly questions’ during a promotional interview of his latest film ‘Chattambi’ (rowdy or ruffian).

The anchor and her team alleged that Bhasi used abusive words at them after they were asked to switch off the camera. They also released the footage of Bhasi using filthy language during the interview. Subsequently a similar filthy response of Bhasi during an interview to a radio channel was out.

The anchor lodged a police petition against Bhasi. A case was registered and Bhasi was arrested. The Kerala Film Producers’ Association also imposed a ban on him.

In view of allegations that Bhasi was under the influence of drugs at the time of the interview, an allegation often faced by many new-gen actors, the police also decided to conduct a drug test on him.

The fresh developments raises questions whether the problem is with anchors and journalists or should there be a scrutiny on the attitude of film professionals.

Actor-director Madhupal says that the present day film promotion is all about making trendy content.

A seasoned PRO in the Malayalam film industry reiterates Madhupal’s point.

“A series of online platforms have emerged to give a wider scope for promotions with limited budgets. But it is not a sure-shot method to draw people to theatres,” he said.

Senthil K Subramaniam of a Thiruvananthapuram-based theatre group said that what attracts genuine crowds to a film is humourous or relevant scenes from films rather than quirky promotional interviews.

“Kunchacko Boban’s ‘Nna Thaan Case Kodu’ (Then go ahead and sue Me) is the classic example. The dance scene of Chackochan (as Boban is popularly known) went viral and the story was based on potholes on roads, which was a hot topic when the film was released. It pulled the crowd to theatres. Quirky promotional interviews could send a wrong message to the audience,” said Subramaniam.

With regard to attitude of actors, many feel that the hectic promotional activities, rather commitments to producers could be a reason why some lose their temper. The influence of drugs in the film industry is a reality, say veterans.

Online film promotion is a give and take arrangement. PROs approach online portals with good viewership while new channels literally plead for interviews of celebrities. Some anchors are sought after as their shows produce great numbers, said industry sources.

A film PRO said that most actors were not reluctant to attend interviews as they know the importance of film promotions.

“Many actors tackle the so-called jovial interviews in a light-hearted manner. Funny replies of Dhyan Sreenivasan in interviews by the same anchor in question are out there on social media. It is surprising why Bhasi reacted like this,” said the PRO who did not want to be quoted.

Jubin, producer of Bhasi’s controversial interview, said that often the PROs insist on promoting the title of the film. Hence Bhasi was asked questions based on the film’s title ‘Chattambi’.

“It’s a popular pattern of our channel. But such an experience was quite unbelievable,” he said in clarification made through the YouTubechannel.

The anchor of a popular FM radio commented, “It seems handling senior actors like Mammootty and Mohanlal is often more easier than handling many young actors.”

Anchor withdraws complaint

The anchor on Friday withdrew her complaint on Bhasi saying she “didn’t want to ruin his career”. Bhasi is learnt to have apologised to her.

In the interview, Bhasi lost his cool and said “he was pissed off”, when he was asked to rate friends and co-actors from the film industry, on a ‘Chattambi’ (meaning rowdy or ruffian) list.