Anurag Kashyap returned to Twitter last week to spring a surprise. To announce that his critically acclaimed thriller Ugly would release on December 26.
“We realised we will create more news by suddenly announcing a release,” the maverick filmmaker said when we called him to talk about the sudden release of the film that’s been ready for a while.
“People will think you are being suicidal or stupid. But most Hollywood films that come to India depend on one trailer and one poster… and a film like The Conjuring would still go on to do 22-crore business. When I see a trailer the first time, I decide whether I want to see it or not. My wait begins when I see it the first time,” he explains the strategy behind Ugly ’s two-week release campaign.
Kashyap had last year sworn not to release the film with the anti-smoking disclaimers and had challenged the health ministry’s directive to the Central Board of Film Certification in court. But he had to give up that battle after the High Court told him that he would have to wait till the Supreme Court verdict on the case. “The fight is still on but the film is incurring costs,” says the filmmaker.
Also, it makes no sense for independent films to spend a lot on marketing and promotions, he believes. “These have been my arguments but nobody pays attention to it. We tend to spend six to eight crores on publicity for a film that costs four crores, thinking we would get an opening. Queen didn’t get an opening. They spent 10-12 crores on publicity, the opening was six crores but the film went on to do 60-65 crores purely on word of mouth.”
The choice of releasing Ugly within a week after the Aamir Khan-starrer PK is a curious one. “ Ugly is not the film to get an opening. We have some very good films like Masaan, Peddlers and Haramkhor in the pipeline where we can’t justify publicity spends. We have to begin somewhere. We spend on marketing because of our own insecurities.”
He talks about the recent indie hit Sulemani Keeda that had opted for a limited phased release. “They have phased out their release so that the word of mouth can spread. At the moment, it is one of the best films running in town. It could probably do even better with an extra morning show for college students. The idea is to push it as much as you can. Use the Internet. Why spend on TV? The audience that watches films like Ugly is not the same that watches saas-bahu soaps on TV.”
“Now that PK is coming, for three weeks there will be nothing else. We feel strongly that contrasting is an alternative. We released That Girl in Yellow Boots at the same time as Bodyguard and did the required numbers. PK has its mass audience and we have our own niche audience,” continues Kashyap.
Ugly is a dark uncompromising thriller that begins as a search for a missing child and quickly becomes a wicked character study full of twists and ugly turns. It’s also his most fast-paced film till date.
When I tell him Ugly is probably the best film he has ever made, he agrees. “There was the least amount of external pressure. Nobody asked me a question. I didn’t even need to narrate my script. I worked with actors who were hungry. The gestation period for the film was very long and it kind of grew like that. And it comes together much better than most of the films I’ve done.”
The film had already finished its theatrical run in Europe. “We had a terrific opening in France and Belgium. It made 80,000 euros in its first week.”
He has become like the Khans himself, returning to Twitter only to promote a film, we joke.
He had quit social media about a year ago tired of having to engage. “It consumes you completely. Your tweet gets quoted out of context and then I was dealing with personal issues… and various other issues. Even now I try to refrain from spending too much time. But the film needs promotions, that’s the reason I came back. They wanted me to come back to Twitter and I told them that if I come back, I come back and stay.”
