RED CHILLIES

ENTERTAINMENT

1

INTRODUCTION

Red Chillies Entertainment (RCE) is an Indian motion picture production and distribution

company, based in Mumbai. The company was founded in 2002 by Bollywood actor Shahrukh

Khan and his wife Gauri Khan. It was transformed from Dreamz Unlimited.

The company has five sub divisions: apart from film production, RCE has a visual effects studio

known as Red Chillies VFX, a studio for TV commercials known as Red Chillies TVC,

a Television programs production division under the name of Red Chillies Idiot Box and an

equipment Leasing division.

The company also has a little less than 50% stake in the Indian Premier League cricket

team Kolkata Knight Riders.

Sanjiv Chawla is the Executive Producer of the company, while Gauri Khan serves as a

producer. In February 2013, Venky Mysore, the CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders took over

additional responsibility as CEO of Red Chillies Entertainment as well. Red Chillies

Entertainment was ranked as the third, fifth and seventh most powerful production house in

Bollywood in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively.

PRODUCT DIVISIONS

The company has five sub divisions:

1. Film production,

2. Visual Effects studio known as Red Chillies VFX,

3. A studio for TV commercials known as Red Chillies TVC,

4. A Television programs production division under the name of Red Chillies Idiot Box

5. An Equipment Leasing division.

6. Event planning

2

HISTORY

FILMS

In 2004, choreographer Farah Khan, a good friend of Shah Rukh Khan, decided to direct a film

with him. He then took over the production company Dreamz Unlimited which he created

with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza and transformed it into Red Chillies Entertainment

with his wife Gauri Khan, who became producer of the first production “Main Hoon Na” in

which Shah Rukh Khan starred as well. The movie did well at the box office, becoming the

second highest grossing film of the year. Khan also starred in the company's 2nd release, the

2005 movie Paheli, belonging to the genre of Indian Parallel Cinema, the film was critically

acclaimed and was selected as India's official entry to the 79th Academy Awards in the Best

Foreign Language Film category.

The third film produced by the company was Farah Khan's mega-budget “Om Shanti Om”,

which was released in November 2007. The film was set in the 1970s and 2000s and paid tribute

to Indian film industry of both these eras. Upon release, it broke many box office records,

grossing over   1.48 billion and thus became the highest-grossing Hindi film of all-time at the

time of its release. The 2009 film Billu starring Irrfan Khan and Lara Dutt was the company's

next release, the film opened to good reviews, but was a box office failure. The latest film

produced by the production company is Roshan Abbas's Always Kabhi Kabhi, the film did

poorly.

The company continued working on other projects until finally deciding on Ra.One (2011)

starring Khan himself, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. The pre-production work began in

2007 after the release of Om Shanti Om. The film's crew consisted of more than 5,000 members

from India, Italy and the US, and was pieced together by more than 1,000 people, working in

shifts, in around 15 studios across the world. It saw the inclusion of several visual

effects techniques being incorporated in the production which was carried out by Red Chillies

VFX. With an estimated budget of   1.25 billion, Ra.One was the second-most expensive film

ever produced in Indian cinema, and the most expensive Bollywood film. The film witnessed a

level of publicity campaigning previously unseen in India films, with marketing taking place

3

over a period of nine months and involving major brand tie-ups of a 52 crore (US$9.88 million)

which set the record for the largest marketing budget in India.

The film released across 3,100 screens in India and 904 prints overseas in both 2D and

3D, making it the largest Indian cinematic release in the world. Upon release, while the Indian

critics gave mixed reviews, the overseas film critics received it warmly. The film has been

widely praised for its visual effects and action, though criticism has been generated regarding its

script and direction. Subsequently, the success of the effects and the 3D version of the film

prompted multiple other Bollywood filmmakers to consider technology as a part of film-making,

especially in view of the success of Ra.One and the inordinately higher returns generated from

3D ticket sales. The film went on to break multiple box-office records and according to its

distributors, is the second highest-grossing Bollywood film worldwide earning over   2.4 billion.

Their next production was the Karan Johar's directorial venture, Student Of The Year, which was

co-produced by Johar's production company.

VISUAL EFFECTS

The company also has a visual effects studio known as Red Chillies VFX which flagged off in

2005. Apart from home productions, the VFX team had been involved with many major movies

like Chak De India, Don - The Chase Begins Again, Dostana and De Dana Dan. The division has

won accolades for its work in India and abroad.

Don: The Chase Begins Again won European accolades for Best Special Effects in 2006. A year

later, Om Shanti Om won best visual effects from Filmfare, Zee cine, IIFA, Star Screen, Indy's

and Apsara Producer's Guild Awards and in 2011, Ra.One swept all major awards in Bollywood

for visual effect, including a National Film Award and Filmfare Award for Best Special Effects

and was nominated for the Asian Film Award as well. The division has the largest manpower

among the group companies with a staff strength of over 130.

4

TELEVISION CONTENT

The company has also ventured into television content production under Red Chillies Idiot Box.

It produced its first television show in 2009, since then, the company has made twelve chat

shows and serials. They are

also responsible for the

conception of Coke Studio

(India), a popular Music TV

Show featuring live music

performances by renowned

artists. In 2010, the

company co-

produced Living with a

Superstar- Shah Rukh

Khan with Discovery

Travel and Living. The 10-

part series was the biggest

Indian show on TV, with a budget of nearly   20 million. The same year, they created along

with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the popular Teen drama Ishaan. The show received

positive response and was a very successful show in Disney channel India and in recent times.

In 2011, the production company collaborated with UTV for their newly launched channel UTV

Stars, first with the celebrity based chat show Up Close & Personal with PZ with actress Preity

Zinta as host. Shot at her own penthouse in Mumbai, the show stated airing on September

2011. Then through the reality TV show Live My Life, the show became one of the first big

shows on the channel and also one of its longest running series. It completed more than 25

episodes in a span of six months. The show received good feedback, especially from the

youth and Superstar Santa, a show that deals with issues relating to life featuring one celebrity

each week solving the issue at hand. In May 2012, the production house introduced a new show

5

titled Inside Indian Television which narrates the history and transformation of the medium of

television in India thought out the years. The show will air on Discovery Channel.

COMMERCIALS

Red Chillies TVC, the sub-division of RCE responsible for producing television commercials

has been active since 2001. The company has produced over 250 commercials (with an average

of 45 commercials yearly) for various national and international brands, such as TAG

Heuer, Lux Cozy, Sprite, Pepsi,Dish TV, Airtel & Videocon.

SPORTS

In 2008, Red Chillies acquired ownership rights for the franchise representing Kolkata in the

Twenty20 cricket tournament Indian Premier League, for a price of USD 75.09 million, and have

since named the team Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR is the richest team in the IPL and it has been

ranked as the most valued with a brand value of $42.1 million. Financially, the KKR are the most

profitable and successful franchise in the IPL as well. The home of the Kolkata Knight Riders is

Eden Gardens, the largest and most iconic cricket stadium in India. It is also one of the largest

stadiums in Asia. In 2011, they introduced the Mumbai franchise in the motorsport racing

league i1 Super Series.In 2012 SRK shown his interest to buy 50 percent share of Dempo

S.C. Indian football club of I League.

6

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

2004

The production company Dreamz Unlimited

which Shah Rukh Khan created with Juhi

Chawla and director Aziz Mirza and

transformed it into Red Chillies Entertainment

with his wife Gauri Khan, who became

producer of the first production Main Hoon

Na in which Khan starred as well. The movie

did well at the box office, becoming the second

highest grossing film of the year

2005

Shah Rukh Khan also starred in the company's 2nd release, the movie Paheli, belonging to the

genre of Indian Parallel Cinema, the film was critically acclaimed and was selected as India's

official entry to the 79th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

2007

The third film produced by the company was

Farah Khan's mega-budget Om Shanti Om,

which was released in November 2007. The film

was set in the 1970s and 2000s and paid tribute

7

to Indian film industry of both these eras. Upon release, it broke many box office records,

grossing over   1.48 billion and thus became the highest-grossing Hindi film of all-time at the

time of its release.

2011

The post-production involved 3-D conversion and the application of visual effects, the latter

being recognized as a technological breakthrough

among Indian films. With a budget of at least  Rs.

125 crore (US$20 million), Ra.One was one of the

most expensive Indian films at the time of release. The

producers also spent  52 crore (US$8.3 million) on the

film's promotions, which involved a nine-month

publicity campaign, brand tie-ups, merchandise, video

games and viral marketing. The film witnessed the

largest international theatrical release for an Indian

film as of 2011, and was preceded by high audience

and commercial expectations. Commercially, the film

became the third highest-grossing Bollywood film of

2011 and broke a number of opening box office

records, though it failed to sustain at the box office after its extended opening weekend. The film

subsequently won a number of awards for its technical aspects, notably one National Film

Award, one Filmfare Award and four International Indian Film Academy Awards.

2013

Chennai Express is the latest movie under the banner Red

Chillies Entertainment. The film released a day earlier in

the United Kingdom and the United States 8 August 2013

and worldwide on 9 August 2013. Extensive paid

previews were held in India on 8 August 2013 as well.

8

The film enjoyed an excellent response at the box office and broke records for the opening

weekend collections for a Hindi film in India and abroad. Chennai Express became the fastest

film to enter the coveted Bollywood 100 Crore Club. The film surpassed Yeh Jawaani Hai

Deewani and is currently the highest-grossing Bollywood film.

FILM PRODUCTION

Year Film Director Verdict

2004 Main Hoon Na Farah Khan Super Hit

2005 Kaal Soham Shah Average

2005 Paheli Amol Palekar Average

2007 Om Shanti Om Farah Khan Blockbuster

2009 Billu Priyadarshan Average

2010 My Name Is Khan Karan Johar Super Hit

2011

Always Kabhi Kabhi Roshan Abbas Flop

Don 2 Farhan Akhtar Super Hit

Ra.One Anubhav Sinha Hit

2012 Student Of The Year Karan Johar Super Hit

2013 Chennai Express Rohit Shetty Blockbuster

2014 Happy New Year Farah Khan To be released

9

Chennai Express

About the product

10

Chennai Express is a 2013 Indian romantic action comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty and

produced by Gauri Khan under the banner Red Chillies Entertainment. The film

features Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in lead roles. This is the second collaboration

between Khan and Padukone after the 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om and the first between

Khan and Rohit Shetty. Chennai Express is about a man's journey

from Mumbai to Rameshwaram and what happens along the way after he falls in love with the

daughter of a local don. Principal photography began on 27 September 2012. Filming began in

October 2012 and was wrapped up by May 2013.

Plot

Rahul (Shahrukh Khan) is a forty-year old bachelor and lives in Mumbai. Rahul's parents died in

a car accident when he was eight years old and it was his grandparents who brought him up. His

grandfather has a sweet-selling chain store - Y.Y. Mithaiwala. Before his birth centenary

celebration, two of Rahul's friends suggest a Goan vacation which he accepts. On the day of the

birth centenary, his grandfather dies whilst seeing a cricket match. His grandmother tells him that

his grandfather desired to have his ashes divided into two parts - to be immersed in the Ganges

River (in the north) and Rameswaram (in the south). She requests Rahul to go to Rameswaram

and immerse the ashes. Rahul reluctantly accepts her request. On the other hand he was eager to

attend the Goa trip, so, he and his friends make plans to dump the ashes at Goa. But, they were

forced to change their plan when Rahul's grandmother told him that she would be coming to see

him off at the station. This forces Rahul to travel by train and he booked a single ticket on

the Chennai Express. He plans to meet his friends after commencing the journey at the Kalyan

Junction station from where they would travel to Goa by car.

Right after commencing the journey from Mumbai railway station, when the train was leaving

the platform, Rahul sees a girl running to catch the train. He helps her board the moving train.

Then he notices four men also running to catch the train. Rahul helps them all to get in. He learns

that those four men were actually kidnapping the girl whose name is Meenalochini Azhagu

Sundaram (Deepika Padukone) aka Meenamma. She was trying to flee from a forced marriage to

Tangaballi (Nikitin Dheer). Her father Durgeshwara Azhagu Sundaram (Sathyaraj), is a powerful

11

headman of the Komban Gaon (an anagram of Kumbakonam) in Tamil Nadu. He wants her to

marry Thangaballi so that he would assume control of the neighboring village as well. Meena

takes Rahul to her father and introduces him as her lover. Thangaballi challenges Rahul for

a duel which Rahul accepts in sign language. On the night of the fight, Rahul escapes with the

help of a local Sikh policeman but in the turn of events, ends up in Komban Gaon again.

Surrounded by sickle-wielding henchmen of Azhagu Sundaram, Rahul then pretends to take

Meena as hostage and escapes again in her father's favourite car. When the jeep breaks down,

they quarrel and go separate ways. But, Rahul not knowing which way to go, comes back to

Meena who takes him to the Vidhamba Gaon where a wedding was taking place. Meena lies to

the people that they are a married couple and have eloped and needed protection and rest.

The villagers grow fond of the couple and take care of them as long as they stay while Meena

realizes that she has fallen in love with Rahul. When Rahul has plans of leaving secretly, Meena

does not want to earn the distrust of the affectionate villagers. As he tries to leave, he is caught

by Thangaballi but the villagers help him escape again. Meena who persuades him to immerse

his grandpa's ashes travels with Rahul to Rameswaram. There they complete the procedures and

on their way back, Rahul, realizing that he has also fallen in love with Meena, does not tell

Meena where they go. He takes Meena back to her father again and tries to make him understand

and honour his daughter's wish. He also confesses for the first time that he loves her too. Rahul

tells Tangaballi and his goons that he has come ready for the fight this time. In the fight that

follows, Rahul though severely injured emerges the winner. Meena's father and Tangaballi

finally turn over a new leaf and accept that the heart of a common man like Rahul is much bigger

than their physical ability and political clout. Azhagu Sundaram, allows Rahul to marry his

daughter, the twist that changed Rahul's life forever. When they finally unite, the film leaves a

message that love knows no barriers of region or language and that with a strong heart, there is

no limit to what a common man can achieve.

12

Cast

Deepika Padukone as Meenalochni Azhagusundaram

Shahrukh Khan as Rahul

Sathyaraj as Durgeshwara Azhagusundaram, Meena's Father

Nikitin Dheer as Tangaballi

Kamini Kaushal as Rahul's Grandmother

Lekh Tandon as Rahul's Grandfather

Priyamani in an item song "1 2 3 4 Get on the Dance Floor"

Production

Development

Sandeep Mishra and Rohit Shetty had originally planned to team up for a remake of the 1982

film Angoor. After the 2011 blockbuster Singham, Rohit Shetty had begun writing the script of

the film but left it mid-way. Incidentally, he had the script of Chennai Express ready to be

narrated to Khan as a back-up due to the difficulty of obtaining the actor's filming dates. Upon

being narrated the script, Khan was impressed with the idea of Chennai Express and agreed to

star in it before the Angoor remake. With this development, the remake of Angoor was pushed

back. When Rohit was asked about the story of the film, he said, "It's a hard-core commercial

film with a romantic angle. The story is about this man's travel

from Mumbai to Rameshwaram and what happens during the journey."

13

Casting

Shah Rukh Khan was the first actor to be approached with the script, and hence the first lead

actor to be signed for the film. Incidentally, Rohit stated that despite the title, Shah Rukh would

not play the role of a South Indian in the film. The casting of the lead heroine was speculated for

a good deal of time. Names such as Kareena Kapoor, Asin Thottumkal and Deepika

Padukone were rumoured by the media. In an interview, a visibly angry Shetty denied all

rumours surrounding the leading heroine, stating that the cast would be finalised in April 2012

and that he was going to cast an established actress as the leading lady. However, in October

2012, it was confirmed that Deepika Padukone had been signed to play the lead opposite Shah

Rukh Khan, when stills were released from the set showing Padukone and Khan shooting. This

would be her second film opposite Shah Rukh Khan, with whom she made her Bollywood debut

with in the 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om.

Rohit Shetty wanted Manorama to play Deepika Padukone's aunt but dropped the idea

later. Sathyaraj was cast to play the role of Deepika's father and the main antagonist of Chennai

Express, making his debut in Bollywood. Actress Priyamani was signed late January 2013 for an

item number in the film. Other personalities from Tamil cinema cast in supporting roles

include Delhi Ganesh, Mohan Raman and Thavakalai.

Characters

Rahul, played by Shah Rukh Khan is a North Indian bachelor who stays with his grandparents in

Mumbai. Rahul couldn’t get married to anyone because of his over-loving and over possessive

Grandfather who cannot live without him. Rahul accidentally boards a train that not only takes

him to his destination, but also makes him realise the power of True Love!.

Meena, played by Deepika Padukone is very fondly referred to as Meenamma by her loved ones.

She is a South Indian lady who stays in Komban village with her huge family. She lost her

mother when she was a child.

Mr. Dugeshwara, played by Sathyaraj is a very well-known don in Komban village. He is

Meenamma's father and is very protective about her.

14

Tangaballi, played by Nikitin Dheer is a don of another village. Meenamma's father is very fond

of him.

Filming

The filming began at Mehboob Studio in Mumbai on 5 October 2012 . The lead actor was

dressed in black casuals and the actress in a South Indian attire, wearing Kanjeevaram

saree. Filming was done at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station with minimum crew

members. These working stills of the lead actor were unofficially released in mid-October

2012. In November 2012, the cast and crew was off to Goa for the first filming schedule. The

railway station of Vasco da Gama was used as a double up, portraying Kalyan. A romantic scene

on board a train passing next to Dudhsagar Falls was also shot. In December 2012, the team was

off to Jakarta for some scenes. By early January 2013, the next schedule was supposed to happen

in Ooty but Khan opined that the opted place would be too far from commercial venue, Mumbai.

Hence, recreation of the lanes of Ooty along with some of its tourist spots, was constructed as a

set on the outskirts of Panchgani in Wai by art director Narendra Ruharikar. It took over 40 days

to make the set at an estimated cost of  15 million (US$240,000). The Wai schedule of filming

ran for entire month of March 2013. A 10-day shooting schedule began in Munnar, Kerala from

mid of April 2013, scenes were canned at Devikulam Lake, Meesapulimala, Wagavara and

Kannimala. The shoot had to be stopped for a few days due to the heavy rainfall and the schedule

was slightly extended until end of the same month. A press conference was also held in the town

Munnar. In May 2013, certain scenes were canned in North Goa The lead actress wrapped up all

her portions of shoot on 25 May 2013. Khan flew to Hyderabad by end of May 2013 for

remaining filming. The film has several Tamil dialogues, but sans subtitles, to retain context.

Music

The music and background score of the film is composed by the duo Vishal-Shekhar. Amitabh

Bhattacharya stamped his lyrics in the album. Recording of the songs began in late October

2012. The track "Ready Steady Po" was attributed as "insane" by the music composers and was

recorded by November 2012. Several sources claimed that the director and actor were unsatisfied

15

with the score of the film and hence the former were reported to rework entirely. However, the

composers denied all such rumours. In mid-April 2013, singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam recorded

the title track for the film, marking his return to Bollywood for playback post fifteen years. He

claimed the song celebrates the spirit of togetherness. Initially, the singer was apprehensive but

opted to sing considering the content and leads of the film.The song "1 2 3 4 get on the dance

floor" was released as a promotional single on World Music Day. On 27 June 2013, the video

promo of the song "Titli" was released and on 11 July 2013, the promo video of "Kashmir Main

Tu Kanyakumari" was released. On 19 July 2013, T-Series has uploaded a song on its official

channel of YouTube named as "Lungi Dance - The 'Thalaivar(r)' Tribute" in honour of the South

Indian film actor Rajinikanth and sung by Honey Singh. On 25 July 2013 a promo video of the

song "Tera Rasta Main Chhodoon Na" was released. The music album was launched on 1 July

2013.

Marketing Strategy of Chennai Express

An Introduction

The first look of Chennai Express was revealed on 1 January 2013. A thirty-one seconds title

track teaser sung by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam was released on 23 May 2013. The official trailer

of the film was released at an event in Mumbai on 13 June 2013. Trailer of Chennai Express has

crossed the 4 million views mark on YouTube just two days after its launch. The game

developed by Disney UTV's digital wing, titled "Chennai Express: Escape from

Rameshwaram" was launched on 24 July 2013 featuring Shahrukh Khan & Deepika Padukone. It

takes the player on a roller-coaster ride where he has to fight off goons and dodge obstacles like

trucks, buses, cars, coconut carts, etc. to collect more than 10,000 coins so as to unlock Deepika

Padukone's game avatar. The outfits donned by Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in the

film was auctioned, and proceedings from the sale was gone for a charity. The auction took place

around the day of its release.

16

Chennai Express had paid previews in India on 8 August 2013 with 10–12 shows at

multiplexes. Chennai Express was dubbed in ten different languages – English, French, Spanish,

Arabic, German, Hebrew, Dutch, Turkish and Malay.

Chennai Express, besides domestic and usual international markets, is scheduled to release in

non-traditional international markets. In Peru, it is the first Hindi film to release on the same day

as in India. Earlier, Shah Rukh Khan-starrer My Name Is Khan and Hrithik Roshan-

starrer Guzaarish opened as delayed releases in Peru. The film is also releasing in Morocco,

Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France and Israel.

The price of tickets for Chennai Express will cost up to 40 per cent more than usual tariff. The

raise, which includes 40 per cent increase in ticket prices during the weekday shows and up to a

20 per cent hike over the weekend, will not be uniform across all multiplexes. Increasing ticket

prices around festivals is not unusual but this much raise is uncommon.

The marketing process is further classified into 3 major strategies:

Pre- Filming Marketing

Release Marketing

Post- release Marketing

17

ANALYSIS: I

Pre- Release Marketing

The pre-release marketing of Chennai express was not very mellow. Tabloids had been reporting

about the movie ever since shahrukh khan and rohit shetty confirmed about the movie.

This is the second collaboration between Khan and Padukone after the 2007 blockbuster Om

Shanti Om and the first between Khan and Rohit Shetty. Principal photography began on 27

September 2012.

On several occasions the protagonist was seen posting photos from the shootings, tweeting,

blogging and also talking to the media about the movie.

The protagonist had a press conference on 13th December to announce the collaboration of the

two huge filmmakers in the hindi film industry.

The pre-filming strategy was mostly based on controversies that Shahrukh Khan was involved in.

Chennai Express along with Akshay Kumar starrer Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Dobara were

initially abandoned by Pakistani distributors and exhibitors in the interest of four of their films

releasing on the same day that was 8 August, but both films later changed their date to 9 and 15

August respectively. During its Wai schedule of filming, the film's unit ran in trouble for over

use of water from Dhom Dam in drought-hit Satara district of Maharashtra. The state's Relief

and Rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam raised his concern for the same.

Release Marketing

With the movie Chennai Express entering the elite "Rs 200 crore club", I wonder if its content is

really worth that much. I leave that to you to decide. However, there is one thing we should not

miss noticing amidst the euphoria. That the success of this movie is in large parts due to a

massive marketing blitzkrieg and not the content alone.

Shahrukh khan being a very smart and calculative business man did not leave any stone

unturned. He made sure he tapped every market and every level of consumers.

18

Shah Rukh Khan and Rohit Shetty are the champions of marketing, so when they joined hands

for 'Chennai Express', it was expected that the film will take the advertising world by storm.

Movie in different languages:

The film was released in many languages. The audience watched the film in several languages

including German, Spanish, Tamil and Telugu.

Posters in different languages: 

The film is going to be released in many languages and thus the promoters developed posters for

the respective language. It added a sense of belongingness to the posters. The audience will be

watching the film in several languages including German, Spanish, Tamil and Telugu.

Chennai Express had paid previews in India on 8 August 2013 with 10–12 shows at

multiplexes. Chennai Express was dubbed in ten different languages – English, French, Spanish,

Arabic, German, Hebrew, Dutch, Turkish and Malay.

The movie was set to be released in mainly Hindi, English, Tamil, Malay. Then knowing the

market expansion for the movie, it was then decided that the movie will be released in ten

different languages, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, German, Hebrew, Dutch, Turkish and

Malay.

Aim:

The aim was to reach a larger target audience as large as having a worldwide premier for the

movie.

Objective:

Chennai Express, besides domestic and usual international markets, is scheduled to release in

non-traditional international markets

19

Procedure:

Chennai Express had paid previews in India on 8 August 2013 with 10–12 shows at

multiplexes. Chennai Express was dubbed in ten different languages – English, French, Spanish,

Arabic, German, Hebrew, Dutch, Turkish and Malay.

Chennai Express, besides domestic and usual international markets, is scheduled to release in

non-traditional international markets. In Peru, it is the first Hindi film to release on the same day

as in India. Earlier, Shah Rukh Khan-starrer My Name Is Khan and Hrithik Roshan-

starrer Guzaarish opened as delayed releases in Peru. The film is also releasing in Morocco,

Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France and Israel.

The film released in 2550 cinemas in 3,550 screens(includes 1000 single screens) in India, and

700 screens internationally (including 195 screens in the United States, 175 in the United

Kingdom, 55 in the Middle East and 30 in Australia), making it the widest Bollywood release of

all time.

Conclusion:

The film was released in not only in several different languages but also in several different

countries. The film was successfully released.

Country Cinema Screen

India 2550 4550

United states of America 100 195

United Kingdom 100 75

Australia 30 -

Middle Eastern 45 -

20

The Game:

The Game: The promoters of 'Chennai Express' have launched a game based on the film. It is a

move to tap the huge potential of the cyber games user base. The game app is available on both

android as well as java based phones. The user will fights roadside goons in order to score points

in the game.

This game is free for Android Users. If you are Non- Android user, then the price of this game is

Rs.99 (For Java Users). You can easily download this game.

The game was launched in Mumbai on 7th July 2013 at prabhadevi at the reliance digital store.

The game was originally developed for android phones on google play for free, then was

developed for the apple users on IOS as a paid app for Rs. 60 and also on java phones for Rs. 99.

Chennai Express Android Game is a game which is mainly based on layout of Temple

Run and Subway Surfers but with some Indian accent added to it.

The concept of this game is collecting coins from path to bought some power ups from shop.

You can also see coconut stalls while game play.

21

The Application:

The promoters of chennai express then released an application for the android users son google

play. The application was called Chennai Express: Karaoke

The application is mainly based on a karaoke layout, where the songs of the movie can be

downloaded in the karaoke format.

Tie-up with products:

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the leading actors when it comes to brand promotion. He has been

associated with a long list of products and many of them are going to be featured in the film as

well. His earlier film 'Ra.One' also saw Shah Rukh collaborating with popular brands.

A new range of sarees: The star-cast of 'Chennai Express' launched a new line of sarees that

have designs similar to Deepika's sarees in the film. If reports are to be believed then the

'Chennai Express' merchandise are in demand in the market. The promoters tied up with “Nali”

to design the special kangevoram sarees that Deepika Padokone wore in the movie

22

Snacks: No matter where are you watching 'Chennai Express', you will get a chance to satiate

your taste buds with your desired foods. The cinema halls will serve snacks carrying a local

flavour in different metropolitans.

The promoters tied up with “Mcdonalds” and have introduced a new happy meal for kids which

will have a toy, a Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padokone figurine.

The promoters also tied up with the famous “baskin & robins” and introduced a new flavor of

ice cream, The Chennai express flavor.

Sunglasses: The promoters tied up with the famous website “Lenskart”, here there was a limited

collection of Ray Bans Aviators. There were about 22 such styles on the website. These were the

same sunglasses that were worn by Shahrukh Khan himself in the movie.

Nokia: The nokia lumia 920 was the product that was placed in the movie. There was about 30

seconds where the protagonist talks about the features on the nokia lumia phone. This was a

major product placement in the movie.

Lawman page 3: The protagonist also placed products from the fashion line of Lawma page 3.

The promoters made sure that the clothes by this fashion line was worn and seen in the movie.

Western union money transfer: There was a special period where there was a special

promotion gimmick for the western union money transfer

Aaj tak Mudda express: The promoters created a special show on an Indian news channel

where the news was brought on a show called the Mudda express.

23

Tata tea: There was an advertisement where Shahrukh khan had made a statement that his

leading lady will have her name shown before the protagonist.

Fashion shows: Shah Rukh was recently spotted at a fashion show walking the ramp, an alien

territory for him, but everything is fair in love, war and film promotion.

The Rajini brand:

'Lungi dance' is a very well planned marketing move. Shah Rukh Khan's film is based in South

India where Rajinikanth's name matters a lot. SRK had tried the same trick in 'Ra.One' as well.

Rajnikanth was made a part of this song to make sure that the southern region of India where

Rajnikant is known as the God of cinema.

IIFA awards

Shah Rukh Khan, while hosting the International Indian Film Academy awardsthis year,

mentioned the movie innumerable times. He went to the extent saying (in a light note) that he

will advertise Chennai Express for the next 45 minutes as his co-hosts left the stage.

The movie content itself has its share of force-fitted product placement marketing about other

brands. At least twice in Chennai Express, SRK explains all the technical details of the Nokia

Lumia smartphone despite it having nothing to do with the plot. It all adds up: SRK owns the

Kolkata Knight Riders cricket team, of which Nokia is the sponsor.

But in the end, he has managed to make money for everyone behind the movie, have Nokia

marketed, and reach the South Indian audience all in one shot. Life is good.

Interactive movie channel:

 A media house is going to launch its interactive movie channel with 'Chennai Express', a huge

feat to achieve for any film. Shah Rukh is known for his undying spirit and grace, so this move

will help the movie channel in becoming a brand. 

24

TV appearances:

Shahrukh khan being the business man he is went over board with the promotions and the tv

appearances. Anywhere we turn; we see Shahrukh Khan or hear about Chennai Express. The

marketing genius has been relentlessly promoting his movie left, right and centre. Even with one

arm in a sling, the actor doesn’t seem to let go of his enthusiasm. King Khan also made an

appearance for Colors TV’s popular daily soap Madhubala Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, where he danced

with Rishab Kundra and Madhubala, and celebrated Eid with them. He took the role of a quiz

master in Diya Aur Baati Hum’s contest – Sabse Bada Champion. He congratulated Suraj and

Sandhya Rathi for being an ideal couple. Shahrukh has also shot a special episode

playing garba with the family of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. And if that was not

enough, the actor was seen on Comedy Nights with Kapil Sharma. After the first episode became

a hit and a viral success, SRK dared to make a second appearance with Rohit Shetty. The actor

and director had a blast with Kapil Sharma and managed to leave everyone in giggles. Kapil

tweeted, “@iamsrk @RohitShetty_FC THANK YOU.We rated 3.3 makin us de HIGHEST rated

non fiction show. Graced n blessed wid ur presence.”

Here is the list of all the appearances that were made:

Comedy Nights with Kapil Sharma,

DID Supermoms,

Diya aur baati hum, 

Eid, Indian Idol Junior, 

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6,

Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, 

Taarak mehta ka ooltah chashmah

25

Post Release Marketing

The Promotional Song

Lungi dance: This song was composed for the promotional drive of 'Chennai Express' but it has

become one of the chief attractions of the film. Yo Yo Honey Singh has come up with a catchy

tune and it is likely to fetch benefits for 'Chennai Express' at the box-office.

The rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh is a well established rapper in the northern region of India.

this was a gimmick to makes sure that the movie does well in the northern region of India.

The Rajini brand:

'Lungi dance' is a very well planned marketing move. Shah Rukh Khan's film is based in South

India where Rajinikanth's name matters a lot. SRK had tried the same trick in 'Ra.One' as well.

Rajnikanth was made a part of this song to make sure that the southern region of India where

Rajnikant is known as the God of cinema.

The Combo offer

You get a third free ticket if you buy two tickets as part of Raksha Bandhanfestival promotions.

At a time when the price of everything from jewellery to onions is hitting the roof, what better

gift for your sister than a blockbuster movie ticket?

Satellite Rights

Chennai Express’ Satellite Rights Sold For Rs 480 Million! A new upcoming channel, End

Films, have supposedly brought the satellite rights for ‘Chennai Express’ at a price of Rs 48

Crores (Rs. 480 million). Interestingly the channel management is also ready to pay more, if

‘Chennai Express’ reaches the elite ‘Rs 100 Crore club’.

Jayantilal Gada CMD of PEN India, who facilitates the satellite rights for Zee Entertainment and

now End Films says, “It’s a win-win situation for both producers and the channel.” He also adds

26

that End Films plans to screen a lot many movies in due course. They plan to begin with a 10-

film library.

Meanwhile distributors are pretty upbeat about the Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone starrer

and believe that UTV and Shah Rukh Khan will achieve their targets of satellite rights and reach

the elite club.

While the film was presented to a few channels before it was sealed with End films, there are

reports that the makers were looking for a higher price. A source says, “Shah Rukh Khan has

produced ‘Chennai Express’ and plans to recover costs through pre-release distribution revenues.

‘Chennai Express’ produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and distributed by UTV Motion

Pictures will release on 9 August.

27

ANALYSIS: II

Release Revenue

Chennai Express chuged off to great start on opening day. Riding high on the star power of Shah

Rukh Khan and a long festive weekend of Eid, director Rohit Shetty's highly anticipated Chennai

Express today opened with 80-90 per cent occupancy in theatres pan India.

A solo release this weekend, the film opened with 3500 prints in India and 700 plus screens

overseas. Early morning shows in the capital were not housefull but the film picked momentum

by midday. 

"It has been a super opening for us. Technically averaging over 90 per cent now. It is 92 to 93

per cent occupancy for us. First three days are going to be big for us," Gautam Dutta, COO, PVR

Ltd said.

Dutta said they have put together 990 shows in PVR and Cinemax and tickets for the three days

are almost sold out. 

"It is doing very well in South India thanks to the clever titling and SRK's appeal. Bangalore is

running to packed houses and even at a place like Kochi where Hindi movies are moderate

success, the film is doing well," he added. 

The film made Rs 6.75 crores from paid previews, according to trade sources, which is the

highest till date, beating Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots that made Rs 2.7 crores. 

Shah Rukh's last release was Yash Chopra's Jab Tak Hain Jaan, which released last Diwali

andChennai Express is his first Eid release. 

The spot is generally reserved for Salman Khan, whose Wanted, Dabangg, Bodyguard and Ek

Tha Tiger released on Eid. 

"This may end up surpassing Ek Tha Tiger simply due to its wide release, the number of shows,

and the kind of marketing SRK has done. Eid is always big but it coming on a Friday is lethal

because it is actually combined with Saturday and Sunday so it will keep the momentum on,"

Dutta said. 

Anant Verma, Director and Business Head, DT Cinemas, which has screens in North India, said

their average opening has been above 90 per cent. 

"Since there are no other releases today, we have allotted 90 per cent screen to the film in Delhi

28

and Chandigarh. Although there is another big film releasing on Independence day. Chennai

Express will sustain," Verma said. 

Munish Sharma, GM Marketing and Programming Satyam Cinemas Delhi, said they have

released the film in all 12 screens here. 

"So far the response has been good and it will increase towards the end of the day and weekend.

Film's response in the morning was 80 per cent to 90 per cent," Sharma said. 

The film produced by UTV Motion Pictures and SRK's production company Red Chillies, has

released in 50 plus countries including places like Morocco, Germany, Switzerland, Austria,

France, Israel and Peru.

Daily Dom. Gross Collection

August 08, 13 $196,016

August 09, 13 $759,665

August 10, 13 $838,207

August 11, 13 $622,625

August 12, 13 $171,140

August 13, 13 $171,140

August 14, 13 $166,153

29

August 15, 13

August 16, 13

August 17, 13

August 18, 13

$117,091

$242,634

$374,702

$276,121

Post Release Revenue

Box office, India

Chennai Express collected very well in paid previews on Thursday. According to Box Office

India, the total collections of the Hindi version were  67.50 million (US$1.1 million), thereby

surpassing the previous record held by 3 Idiots The film collected  331.20

million (US$5.3 million) on its opening day, making it the highest opening day collection

surprasing the previous record, held byEk Tha Tiger. The film broke the second day and third

day box office records as well collecting  280.50 million (US$4.5 million) and  325

million (US$5.2 million) respectively. Chennai Express set another record for worldwide

opening, earning  1.67 billion (US$27 million) in the three-day weekend. The film fared well on

Monday collecting over  120 million (US$1.9 million). It grossed  115 million (US$1.8 million)

nett on its first Tuesday, thus becoming the highest grossing Shahrukh Khan starrer film in

India. The film remained steady and grossed  125.60 million (US$2.0 million) on Wednesday.

Box Office India reported that the film grossed  190 million (US$3.0 million) nett on Thursday,

taking its first week total (including paid previews) to  1.461.50 billion (US$23 million), beating

the previous record of Ek Tha Tiger. The film collected  225.50 million (US$3.6 million) on its

30

second weekend, taking the total domestic nett to  1.68 billion (US$27 million), and also became

the second highest grossing Bollywood film in ten days with a worldwide gross of  3.14

billion (US$50 million). The film earned  1.85 billion (US$29 million) in two weeks and

amounted to  1.94 billion (US$31 million) after its third weekend in the domestic market. The

film grossed  160 million (US$2.5 million) in its third week, bringing up its total to  2.00.75

billion (US$32 million).

Overseas

Also at overseas, the film broke records, with paid previews in the UK amounting more than any

first day of a Bollywood film in the UK. The film made opening weekend records in foreign

territories taking in a total of  504.70 million (US$8.0 million), including record collections from

key markets USA ($2.47 million), UAE (AED 7.73 million) and UK (£934,118). It proved a big

hit in Pakistan as the film collected $3,00,000 [Rs. 1.84 crores] in its opening weekend. By 18

August, Chennai Express broke all box office records in Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, by

grossing over 40 million rupees. The film earned  72 crore ($11, 667,477) in just nine days in

overseas. By the second weekend, the film grossed around $14 million. Chennai Express grossed

about US$16 million by its third weekend overseas.

Post- Release Revenue

From August 19, 2013 – August 29,2013

Daily Dom. Gross Collection

August 19, 13 $60,531

August 20, 13 $108,638

August 21, 13 $63,032

31

August 22, 13 $52,992

August 23, 13 $108,257

August 24, 13 $170,991

August 25, 13 $108,654

August 26, 13 $32,856

August 27, 13 $58,191

August 28, 13 $29,446

August 29, 13 $26,550

32

CHAPTER 4- SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary and Conclusion

There were some new strategies used keeping the innovation coming in. Also, after Ra.one

people expected more out of Red Chillies Entertainment for Chennai Express. However, they

were disappointed with the entire marketing strategy as it was not as good as Ra.one.

The promotions of Chennai Express though innovative, were not yet in your-face, it is for a reason.

This is the way Shah Rukh Khan intended to keep it. There weren't any plans to go overtly ballistic.

There have been a few major events, launches and press conferences that did take place for Chennai

Express but beyond that it has all been under check. Shah Rukh felt that there is no point thrusting

any kind of marketing or promotion down the audience's throat when the film was heating up on its

own merits. This is the reason why there wasn't anything extravagant around the entire campaign.

This is unlike Shah Rukh's last production Ra.One where more than six months had gone into

promoting the film with a marketing budget that went to about 150 crores.

It was required there since the super-hero genre was being introduced to the audience. It was a

conscious call back then to be very aggressive about the film so that it was known to one and all what

the film was all about. It is not required for Chennai Express though since the very first promo

established what it was all about.

There is connect that is required with the youth and for that an elaborate digital campaign was on.

However, the campaign didn’t go well as it didn’t find a good response as expected.

However, physical presence of lead actors and director in any and every other event has been done

away with. There were 'dozen odd' city tours being planned, something which is pretty much in the

vogue.

33

Recommendations

I would recommend Ra.one like promotions because the audience and the film-makers are used to

seeing the marketing guru, SRK. After a budget of 150 crores for Ra.one the marketeers expected a

budget of around 100 crores. Ra.one tied up with more than 150 products. Chennai express did that

with about 10 products. Recommendations go that more tie ups should have taken place especially in

the southern parts of India which was a big target for the movie-makers.

More tie-ups with products especially with those preferred by southern india. Besides, Red chillies

entertainment needs product specific partnerships rather than partnerships with anything and

everything. Sometimes the company has gone about making many partnerships but not executing it.

They could tap into the chinese markets or other countries which has Bollywood and SRK fans. The

company could also do CSR activities. The face of the company SRK does CSR which is not

revealed. However, the company needs to do some good PR of its CSR

34

Biblogaphy

http://www.thinkomania.com/the-king-of-movie-marketing/

http://pagalguy.com/news/lessons-marketing-chennai-express-a-17316208/

http://businessofcinema.com/photos/chennai-express-shah-rukh-khan-game-changers/96088

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/bollywood/OUATIMD-Chennai-Express-get-

bad-reviews-but-shine-at-BO/Article1-1109407.aspx

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/chennai-express-how-the-film-conquered-the-bo-despite-being-

slammed/414246-8-66.html

http://digital-conversations.blogspot.in/2013/08/chennai-expresss-marketing-express.html

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/shah-rukh-khan-has-no-extravagant-promotion-plans-for-

chennai-express/1145487/

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/chennai-express-review-its-a-big-fat-bore-a-bloated-vanity-project-

for-an-actor-capable-of-so-much-more/413121-47-84.html?utm_source=ref_article

http://dawn.com/news/1035477/chennai-express-rocks-karachi-box-office

http://stupidusmaximus.wordpress.com/tag/chennai-express/

35