A scene from Suriya’s Jai Bhim, together with the interview of director TJ Gnanavel as he breaks down the story, was not too long ago featured on the Oscars narratives YouTube web page underneath the “Scene at the Academy” class. The honor was celebrated in India, with the movie’s producers, 2D Entertainment, sharing the achievement on its social media handles, calling it, “An honor of the highest order!”
However, just a few days later, some have performed down the achievement and have claimed {that a} spot may be purchased on the YouTube channel at a sure price. This led to a social media debate, with many accusing filmmakers of indulging in “cheap marketing gimmicks.” The discussions have even turned political, including to the lengthy listing of political controversies that the movie has been embroiled in ever since its launch final yr on Amazon Prime Video.
Despite all of the controversies, the movie continues to make an impression globally. Soon after Jai Bhim acquired featured on Oscar’s YouTube channel, the information in regards to the movie being a part of 276 movies that have been eligible for the Oscars 2022 got here out. Nominations will likely be introduced on Feb. 8.
The critics of Jai Bhim are partially proper. The movie getting spotlighted on the digital and social media platforms of Oscars is a component of a bigger advertising marketing campaign. But, sources near movie’s makers say there’s nothing “cheap” or “scandalous” about it as advertising stays an integral a part of a film’s success at Oscars.
For a movie to succeed on the Academy Awards, it is very important create consciousness about it, and the Academy helps the filmmakers to succeed in out to its members by means of its digital channels. “Scene at the Academy is an opportunity to create exclusive content – spotlighting the filmmaking and creative process behind the movies – for the Academy’s global members and fans,” reads the rules explaining the necessities to get featured underneath Scene At the Academy.
“The Academy’s Marketing staff might also make the content material obtainable to the general public through Academy digital/social platforms. Members will obtain weekly updates about new Academy Screening Room titles and content material made obtainable by studios/distributors, and different associated supplies uploaded by the Academy,” it says.
Suriya in Jai Bhim.
The filmmakers should pay a price of $5000 {dollars}, approx Rs 3.7 lakh, to entry this service of the Academy.
Director Thomas Vinterberg’s Danish-language movie Another Round, which received the Best International Feature Film on the Oscars 2021, had additionally featured a director’s commentary underneath the Scene At the Academy. Other Oscar hopefuls of 2022, together with Annette and Encanto, even have comparable promotional supplies on the Academy’s digital platforms.
Should Jai Bhim make it to the subsequent degree and the filmmakers wish to go for broke like Vetrimaaran for Visaaranai or Aamir Khan for Lagaan, the producers of this movie should lay our a fortune to advertise Jai Bhim to members of the Academy. This is how course of for the Oscars, thought of one of the prestigious awards in world cinema, works.
“The producers would have appointed an agency (in Los Angeles) which handles such promotions. Not all 276 movies eligible for the Oscars have been featured on the YouTube channel, including Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea. There are films with a bigger budget than Jai Bhim but they all have not been featured on that channel. So we don’t know what’s the logic in it,” mentioned an trade supply.
With greater than 1.6 million views inside per week of its launch, Jai Bhim has emerged as the most well-liked film on the Oscar’s YouTube channel. Most of the administrators’ commentary of in style Hollywood motion pictures have not garnered one-tenth of Jai Bhim’s complete views up to now.
Critically acclaimed Jai Bhim is a courtroom drama that shines the sunshine on how the oppressed fall by means of the gaps and sometimes face discrimination in the case of getting justice. Suriya essays the function customary on real-life lawyer Chandru, who fought for the oppressed all his life.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
