Rage-bait cinema — films which contain elements that spark polarizing debates on social media — is increasingly turning out to be an effective marketing tool in keeping a film alive in the public consciousness after it has resonated with audiences by providing incremental footfalls, said producers, veteran film marketing professionals, distributors and film trade analysts to ET.

Such films stay alive in public consciousness after release by fuelling online arguments, especially when makers tap into uncomfortable social truths that keep conversations active and extend box-office momentum, industry executives said.

“Today, 60% of cinema chains are concentrated in the NCR (National Capital Region) and Mumbai territories. This shows how important are these territories in terms of business. These territories have changed tremendously due to social media,” said Neeraj Joshi, a film marketing and strategy consultant. 

“Today, almost every action of people on social media is about performance and activism. So, makers consciously insert elements in their films which capitalize on uncomfortable truths and fault lines contained in the worldview or value system of audiences.”

Recently, the American romantic comedy film The Drama sparked heated debate on social media, with some viewers saying its gun activism theme felt completely out of place in a light-hearted film from the romance genre.

Such kind of insertions in plots works for both camps—the supporters and the protestors, said film marketing strategists.

“Online debates around films often serve as a marketing tool particularly for those films which aim to become a talking point. Virality generates both positive and negative perspectives, while also drawing fence-sitters to theatres, leading to incremental footfalls,” said Saurabh Varma, a veteran film marketing strategist.

“Additionally, through virality, makers aim to gain attention of streamers and film rights buyers who tend to favour films which achieve high visibility and engagement.”

Last year, the big-budget film Dhurandhar that released on December 5, collected Rs. 103 crore on its opening weekend, indicating that the film resonated with audiences. However, within a few days of its release, debates about its historical authenticity and whether it is a nationalistic or propagandist film emerged on social media. These debates piqued audience’s interest and provided incremental footfalls as in the second weekend — between December 12 and December 14 — the film collected Rs 140.5 crore.

Film trade analysts believe that social media debates can potentially transcend and become a 360-degree buzz if a film deeply resonates with audiences first.

“When a film resonates deeply with audiences, social media debates can become a 360-degree buzz covering radio, television and even newspapers. This provides incremental footfalls,’ noted producer and film business expert Girish Johar.

Producers acknowledge the growing importance of the audience in shaping narratives.

“Social media has become a battleground of identity, politics and morality. Today, audiences have a larger role than critics in shaping big narratives given the democratization of social media platforms. However, a social media debate alone cannot provide incremental footfalls to films which have not resonated with audiences,” observed Suniel Wadhwa, cofounder and director of Karmic Films.

Social media’s algorithmic structure also fuels and reinforces views and debates which trigger audience’s curiosity.

“We live in an age of algorithms which keep people in echo chambers. When films have morally ambiguous elements and when there is boycotting sentiment, usually, audiences become curious and go and watch films in theatres,” said Shaaminder Malik, a film distributor and trade analyst.

Actor Urmila Matondkar, who announced her return to acting in 2022 with the OTT series Tiwari, is finally set to make her comeback early next year. Dismissing reports that the project has been shelved, producer Utpal Acharya confirmed that the revenge-thriller is in the final stages of post-production.

“Tiwari was shot in a start-to-end schedule in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and reports suggesting delays are untrue. There were no creative differences with director Saurabh Varma. The series is currently in post-production, and we’re targeting a February 2026 release,” Utpal clarifies.

The show revolves around Kalki, a woman wrongfully imprisoned for 14 years who sets out to hunt down the person who framed her.

Utpal also reveals that the team has “almost finalized the OTT platform” but is waiting for an official announcement. “Initially, we had seven episodes of 50 minutes each, but the platform has restructured them into 14 episodes of 25 minutes each. Since it’s a revenge thriller, abrupt cuts weren’t possible, which caused some delay in post,” he explains. Tiwari will also reunite Urmila with her Satya co-star J D Chakravarthy after 27 years, alongside actors Gauahar Khan and Rajesh Sharma in pivotal roles.

Praising Urmila’s professionalism, he adds, “She was extremely dedicated, if her call time was 6 am, she’d be ready with hair and makeup by 5.30 am. She’s really excited about the release.”

Actor Darsheel Safary, who won acclaim with his debut performance in Taare Zameen Par (2007), has signed a psychological thriller, Tibba. Produced by Content Engineers and Dancing Shiva Films, the movie will be directed by Gaurav Khati.

While Tibba is now under production, Safary has been signed on by them for two more films that are in the development stage.

Utpaal Acharya, CEO, Content Engineers, says, “The film industry needs young talent and Darsheel fits the bill! We are happy to have signed him for two more films that will showcase different shades of him in different genres.”

Ritesh Kudecha of Dancing Shiva Films adds, “Tibba has an intriguing story and Gaurav, as a director, is a talent to watch out for. We are happy that Darsheel came on board to play the protagonist. He is a wonderful actor, and we are hopeful of making a film that will be path-breaking in the psychological thriller genre.”

All set to make his film debut as an adult, Safary says, “I was waiting for the right script for a while, and I believe that Tibba will help satiate the creative hunger within me. I am happy that the team of Content Engineers and Dancing Shiva Films are open to exploring out-of-the-box stories. These disruptive ideas will excite youth and families, all across the globe.”

The film is produced by Dr Raj Khaware, Pranay Chokshi, Saurabh Varma, Anuya Chauhan Kudecha, Utpaal Acharya and Ritesh Kudecha. The two production houses also intend to invest energies in NFT and the Metaverse, targeting youth and Gen Z from across the world.

Content Engineers, a creative studio, the brainchild of Saurabh Varma and Utpaal Acharya, has collaborated with Suniel Shetty’s media and entertainment arm, FTC Talent Media & Entertainment, to create a slate of entertaining content. Together, Saurabh (Chief Creative Officer) and Utpaal (Chief Executive Officer) bring the experience of marketing and distributing more than 2,000 films in their career span of over 25 years with various renowned studios and theatre chains.

This association is set to create tech-driven, immersive content, films and web series that are set against the backdrop of Indian stories and people. They will also create intellectual properties (IPs) in the form of reality-based shows, fiction and nonfiction narrative and merchandise surrounding it.

As an entrepreneur, Suniel is the brain behind the app that won the best Atma Nirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge, aimed at giving access and work to our immense talent from across the country. Actors can record and send their auditions through the app from any part of the world. He also kickstarted Horse Stable Junior, a funding platform for young entrepreneurs.

Saurabh, who is also a filmmaker, says, “Our attempt is to bring together the best creative and commercial minds of the industry to create stories that are born out of Indian soil and make them palatable to a global audience. Indian sweat and brain power rule the world in every field, and these are proud stories for us. With this in mind, we’ve also set up a writers’ lab that consists of writers from metros and the smallest of towns in India to expats globally to source and create heart-warming stories.”

Utpaal adds, “We plan to create many IPs, keeping in mind the relationships Suniel has built over the years. With a testimony to his impeccable image and the relationships he brings to the table, we hope to exploit different markets. Content Engineers FTC Mediatech company is aimed at developing disruptive and immersive concepts where consumption will be more personal, even customized.”

Suniel shares, “I like that both Saurabh and Utpaal have so much to offer in terms of experience, ideas, strategy, planning and building a robust entertainment vertical. We will focus on family values, inspiring Indian stories with entertainment at its core, while also creating avenues and character stories for the metaverse and Web 3.0. From creating fan-based comics, games and merchandise to non-fiction content in entertainment and sports, there is a lot in the offing. Get ready for the mother of all disruptions. We are going to create content that’ll wow the world.”

The talented and gorgeous actress Sonalee Kulkarni seems to be on a roll this year. She impressed audiences with her bubbly performance in Ti And Ti. On Diwali, she rocked the show with Hirkani, a film that’s doing great business at the box office. And now she is set to end 2019 with a bang with Vicky Velingkar. The makers released the teaser poster of the film on September 18, where only a part of Sonalee’s face was seen. Yet, it added to the intrigue.

The teaser of Vicky Velingkar is now out and it gives a slightly better idea of the film and it’s genre. It shows Sonalee’s character being chased by a mysterious and scary Mask Man in abandoned locations. What adds to the thrill is that Vicky is no damsel-in-distress. She seems determined to outsmart and defeat the Mask Man. The teaser is cut very well and it is sync with the film’s thrill element.

Vicky Velingkar is produced by Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartik D Nishandar of GSEAMS (Global Sports Entertainment And Media Solutions Private Limited) along with in association with Dancing Shiva, Pranay Chokshi, Anuya Chauhan Kudecha, Ritesh Kudecha, Sachin Maruti Lokhande and Atul Janardan Tarkar. Arjun and Kartik, while speaking about the promo, say, “The teaser has been well received on the social media and creates curiosity among the audience. The film is a one-of-its-kind experience in Marathi, and that is reflected in the teaser.”



It is directed by Saurabh Varma who made Hindi films like Maniesh Paul’s debut flick Mickey Virus, the action flick 7 Hours To Go and the unreleased comic caper Solid Patels. Saurabh reveals, “Vicky Velingkar is a comic book artist and a clock seller who entangles in an unexpected life mystery. The film is about a female underdog who rises against all odds.”

Besides Sonalee Kulkarni, Vicky Velingkar also features Spruha Joshi, Sangram Samel, Kettan Singh, Gaurav Devidas More and Vanita Kharat. It releases on December 6, 2019.

Six years ago when Sandeepa Dhar made her debut in Bollywood, she showed a lot of promise. However, rather than portraying the stereotypical heroine and running around trees, the actress, who is also an accomplished dancer, chose to play supporting roles in Dabangg 2 and Heropanti. Now, she is set to leave her demure image behind with her upcoming film 7 Hours To Go in which she plays a tough-as-nails cop. In a quick chat with Bombay Times, Sandeepa reflects on her career and reveals why surviving in Bollywood is a struggle.

You have shed your girl-next-door image with this film. Were you apprehensive?
I wanted to do something different as I feel it's important for actors to explore a variety of characters for creative satisfaction. Also in Bollywood, actors get stereotyped very easily. After Dabangg 2 and Heropanti, I was offered similar kind of roles. When I approached director Saurabh Varma for this film, he wasn't convinced that I would be able to pull off the role of a bad a** cop. He changed his mind only after I gave a screen test. Rarely do you get a chance to play a strong female character and I grabbed this opportunity with both my hands. I hope this film helps in changing people's perception about me in the industry.

So in the interim, you deliberately didn't take up work because of the kind of roles that were offered to you?
Yes. As I said, once you become good at something, filmmakers take you for granted and offer the same roles. For instance, I had become good at playing someone who you feel sorry for. I didn't want to take up work out of desperation. So, I took my time. Today, most of the actors are trying to fight this notion and aspiring to do different kind of roles.

In this industry that's so competitive, didn't you fear that rejecting films would affect your career?
It surely gets difficult because there are only a certain number of films that are offered. So you have to take a call whether you want to take up work or sit at home. My father isn't a producer or director who will make a film just to project me in a different light. At the end of the day, I have to run my house. If I don't do films, I will not be able to survive. Working in Bollywood is a constant struggle.

You have done a lot of stunts in your forthcoming film. How did you prepare for it?
I have seen a lot of heroines doing action sequences in Hindi films but they don't look convincing. However, in Hollywood, actors are spot on as they undergo a lot of training. I wanted to do the same. So, I trained in Mixed Martial Arts. Also, in the film, I have a lot of hand-to-hand combat scenes with male actors. There were days when I couldn't get out of the bed due to the rigorous training. Physically, I look petite. So during the shoot, I had to ensure that when I punched, it didn't look gimmicky.

Are you happy with the way your career has shaped up so far?
To be honest, right after my debut film Isi Life Mein released, I flew to Australia where I got an opportunity to be a part of a Broadway. A lot of film offers were coming in, but I was too focused on my dancing. When I came to India on vacation, I did Dabangg 2 and later, I also shot for Heropanti. I had signed an exclusive contract with my dance academy and got busy with my shows for two years. Later, I signed Global Baba and 7 Hours To Go.

Now that you are playing a female lead, would you be comfortable doing supporting roles?
I don't judge a role on the basis of its screen time. I have done ensembles and supporting roles, too. For me, my character is important. The audience is smart and can judge the difference between a good and a bad film. As long as I get to play a good character, a second lead or a supporting role is not an issue.

Do you ever wish you had a godfather in the industry?
I am really happy that whatever I have achieved so far is because of my talent and perseverance. But having said that, I think having a godfather is a great thing because it gives you easy access to the industry. We have seen examples where star kids are launched by their families, and sometimes films are especially made to resurrect their career. I don't have a godfather in the industry. But I don't regret it. I feel it will only push me to work harder.

Do you believe in luck?
Along with talent, destiny is also a big factor. I think our profession has a lot to do with being at the right place at the right time. No matter how much I work hard and put my best foot forward, ultimately what is planned for me will happen.

After her stint in Housefull 2, Shazahn Padamsee will be back with Saurabh Varma's Solid Patels. In the first audition itself, the director was convinced he wanted to cast her for the role. Speaking about it, the actress says, “I play a Gujarati girl called Hetal. Prepping for it needed some solid work. I had to watch Gujarati dramas and films to perfect my diction. I'm very particular about the nuances of the characters I play. I am completely a director's actor, so, I followed his instructions to a T. The biggest challenge was to live up to his expectations and I'm glad I've made him happy.“ The actress adds that the best part about associating with Saurabh was the freedom he allowed her. “I contributed to my character by dressing her up because she is exactly like me. It is encouraging that the inputs I shared with the designer were incorporated in the film,“ says Shazahn. When quizzed about her comic timing, which was a prerequisite for the role, she says, “There is a notion that comedy is easy to execute, however, I believe making people laugh is the toughest. I have not completely mastered the art, but I'm learning and will improve over time.“