Tushar Joshi (DNA; April 20, 2017)

Never before has a Hollywood film had their cast dance to the tunes of a hit Bollywood song as a part of the promotional strategy for the film. The film, which releases in India on May 5, has a unique video tailormade to satiate the palettes of the Indian audience.

How it ties in...
A follow-up to the hugely successful Guardians of the Galaxy, the second installment has a sequence where Peter Quill aka Star Lord (Chris Pratt) stays connected to the dying mother he left behind after being kidnapped from Earth through a Walkman and mixtapes she left behind for him. The Awesome Mix Vol 1 mixtape featured prominently in the Guardians Of The Galaxy. The sequel Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 features Awesome Mix Vol 2.

For Vol 2, Bollywood hit song Jhoom Jhoom Jhoom Baba from the 1984 film Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki was incorporated in the special teaser cut for Indian fans. It is believed that the rights to the song were bought by the studio to ensure there is no copyright issue.

Behind the choice
The song and its foot-tapping groove is representative of the cool-ness that the film exudes. “Guardians Of The Galaxy are a super-cool set of superheroes, who believe in having a ball as they save the galaxy. As music is a dominant aspect of the movie, we thought it would be a great idea to revive a retro hit dance for the Hindi version. After listening to some popular songs from the 80s, the team unanimously felt Jhoom Jhoom Jhoom Baba echoes the fun spirit associated with the Guardians. The song is about making the best of the moment and enjoying it, just like these superheroes. We hope the mash-up for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 will be enjoyed by existing and innumerable new fans in India,” says Amrita Pandey, Vice President-Studios, Disney India.

It won’t be a surprise if other Hollywood studios follow suit and imitate the formula to promote their films for the desi audience.