Activating Bollywood buzz: Promoting Indian film superstars in supporting roles

Abstract

This article shows how India’s popular Hindi cinema markets celebrity actors to promote films where they only appear in supporting roles. Focusing on promotional images of Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan from two 2016 Bollywood releases, we consider how ‘studio actions’ build on existing celebrity profiles to entice audiences to films. The combined promotion of these stars’ on- and off-screen personas and their ability to transcend Hindi cinema affords them a base of fans that increases their celebrity status across India, its diasporas and globally. As a marketing strategy, the ‘studio actions’ approach has its antecedents in Hollywood and is clearly aimed at increasing box office revenues. The highly visible inclusion of Khan and Rai on promotional materials creates a ‘buzz’ that reminds audiences of the star’s past successes and hints at the promise of seeing them again for an extended screen time.