BackTata says OK to ‘Singham Returns’, other brands follow
Given the importance of cars to Rohit Shetty's brand of cinema, Tata Motors has tied up with the movie franchise
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Mumbai: No Rohit Shetty movie is complete if it doesn’t have cars, whether stationary, in motion, as part of a convoy, or mid-explosion. Given the importance of the automobile to Shetty’s action-dominated cinematic universe, it’s not surprising that one of the major brand tie-ups for his new movie Singham Returns is with Tata Motors Ltd.
The Safari Storme, Sumo, Aria, Sumo Grande, Xenon and Nano cars from the automobile manufacturer’s assembly line will feature in the 15 August release, said Dhruv Jha, general manager at media agency network IPG Mediabrands, which negotiated the deal between Tata Motors and the producers of Singham Returns.
“The film had a large requirement for utility vehicles since it has a lot of convoy moments," Jha said. “Singham Returns also has a macho male association, and that is where Tata Motors comes in." At least 20 Tata Motors vehicles have been used in Singham Returns, but none of them will suffer the fate of most cars in Shetty’s films, which is to leap off the road, somersault through the air and blow up, usually in slow motion. Film publicist Parag Desai, whose company Universal PR is handling Singham Returns, confirmed that no Tata Motors vehicle will be damaged in any way.
Singham Returns is the sequel to Singham, a 2011 remake of the hit Tamil movie Singam. Singham, also directed by Shetty, follows the adventures of the bracingly honest, vigilante-minded Mumbai Police inspector Bajirao Singham. The Tamil movie spawned a sequel last year, Singam 2, but the Hindi sequel is “an original script and not a remake", said Sameer Chopra, head of marketing at Reliance Entertainment, one of the three main producers along with Ajay Devgn Ffilms and Rohit Shetty Productions. Reliance Entertainment holds the rights to the Singham franchise. Among the attempts to forge a new direction for Devgn’s character and the Hindi film series is a redesign of the lion-themed visual art (which is adapted from the Tamil film), brand tie-ups, and merchandise aimed at furthering Bajirao Singham’s appeal among younger audiences.
CEAT Tyres, Police’s watch range, and the WeChat messaging app are among the brands that have associated with the movie, said Chopra. He declined to provide an estimate for the value of the tie-ups, claiming that many more deals were in the making. Also on board is Sirtex Eazy, the hosiery brand that Devgn has been endorsing since early this year. Sirtex has supplied the white vests that Devgn and other cops wear above their khaki trousers. A video extolling the virtues of the Mumbai Police was launched at the organization’s annual charity fund-raiser, Umang, earlier this year.
A cartoon version of Bajirao Singham adorns the merchandise, which includes T-shirts, school bags, keychains, lunchboxes, caps, and water bottle cases. Snack and beverage containers at multiplexes run by PVR Ltd will bear the movie’s logos. “We will also be reaching out specifically to young Bajirao Singham fans," Chopra said. The movie character’s animated version will be written into episodes of Chhota Bheem, the popular animated series for children on the POGO channel. Promotions on fictional and non-entertainment channels and talent hunt shows are now an indispensable part of movie promotions. Devgn will make an appearance on the long-running crime show CID on Sony’s Hindi entertainment channel.
The brand associations hope to benefit from the efforts of the sequel’s producers to equal, if not surpass, Singham’s net box office of ₹ 102 crore. “The accepted fact is that movies are great influencers," said IPG Mediabrands’s Jha, who is also working on the upcoming releases Happy New Year and Dil Dhadakne Do. “Movies move especially the youth like anything."
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