Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to demonetise high value currency notes will not have any effect on the release of “Rock On 2”, says actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar who feels nothing can stop the audiences from coming to theatres once they decide that a film needs to be watched.
Farhan, who plays one of the leads in “Rock On 2” and is also the film’s co-producer, wonders if there is ever the perfect time to release a film.
“Finally, it’s not about how much you market your film. If intense marketing helped sell a film to the audience, every film would be a hit. I feel the public makes up its mind whether it wants to see a film or not early in the process of a film’s marketing. If they’ve decided they want to see a film, nothing can stop them,” he said.
After Modi announced scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, there was a buzz that the makers of “Rock On 2” were contemplating postponing its release to avoid the immediate backlash of the currency shortage among consumers.
“Wrong,” said producer Ritesh Sidhwani, and added: “We are releasing on schedule this Friday.”
In fact, cinema hall chain PVR Cinemas has decided not to charge convenience fee on usage of a debit or credit card for purchase of tickets for “Rock On 2”. Also, Paytm has started a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer for the first week of the movie’s release.
By Subhash K. Jha
