Drona film uses comics as promotional tool

Televisionpoint.com Correspondent | Mumbai
Movie promotion over the years has seen some innovative concepts, especially through merchandising. Two years ago, when India saw its first superhero movie Krrish, the demand for the Krrish masks and action figures were some of the most sought after collectibles among the fans of the hero. The books are priced at about Rs 50 and Rs 27 for the activity books.

And with the upcoming film Drona, a superhero movie rooted in Indian myths, the producers have decided to get more creative, with comics. As a part of the movie promotion, the producers of the movie are coming out with comics that will introduce the superhero called Drona, played by Abhishek Bachchan in the film.

The comics titled The Adventures of Drona, will be in stores from Tuesday. The first book in the series is called The Crowning. Goldie Behl, writer-director, Drona says that while discussing the script itself, they had planned to come out with the comics.

Behl says, "A lot of inspiration for movies comes from comics. When Abhishek and I sat to discuss the plot and the movie, we decided on the comics too. Though it is in comic book format, it is more of a graphic novel," he says.

"The first book - The Crowning will be the prequel for the movie, where the main character of the movie Drona and other major characters in the film will be introduced. Once the movie is released, the other books in the series will also be launched," Behl says.

The book will speak about the history of the characters and other trivia connected to them. "The feedback that we have received so far for the comics is incredible. The stars of the film as well as our team members are very excited. Some of the images from this comic book will also be seen in the movie. It's more like the first peek at the movie," Behl adds.

Uday Mathur, managing director, Euro Kids India, who are distributing the comics, says, "For the books, the producers of the movie have tied up with Cartoon Network and we have the rights of the books and publishing. The first installment will include one graphic novel and four colouring activity books."

Euro Kids had earlier published books for movies such as Lagaan, Hanuman and Krishna. "Drona being an Indian superhero has already created curiosity among children and the elders as well. They will definitely like to own something of the movie and we are expecting the product to do very well," he adds.

Mihir Ranganathan, creative director, Ginseng Web Marketing Solutions, says, "In recent times graphics have seen a revival. It's a very intelligent step to come out with comics. Especially since the story revolves around a superhero, it will attract several youngsters. Whether the comics will attract audience for the movie cannot be said, but one may help the other. It is definitely on the positive side," he adds.

Gaman, creative head, Krea Comics, says, "I think comics are a great way of promoting a movie. This increases the curiosity in the audience about the characters and the film. But it is unfortunate that the South is yet to discover it. Most of the people here follow the traditional method of film promotion and are not ready to get creative."