Word of mouth counts most

ACTOR John Abraham, pictured, says word of mouth is most important for a film to do well.

“I believe if your film is good, it’ll work; if it’s not good, it’ll not work, like when it doesn’t connect in a way,” he says.

“The most important thing is word of mouth. So whatever we say about the film, I think it’s the film that has to speak for itself.

“There is a saying that 50% of what we spend on advertising is waste, but we don’t know what 50%. Similarly, during promotions we don’t know what is effective and what is not. We follow a set template which, according to me, is very ineffective.”

John was speaking during a promotional event for his film Dishoom. He and his co-stars, Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez, have been promoting the film through reality shows, fitness events and at colleges.

“Varun loves going out there and pushing it,” he says. “We are complete opposites, but that’s why we get along so well. If I am busy somewhere, then Varun will go and promote, and if he is busy, I promote.

“It’s an unspoken relationship we have and the audience understands. They see us and feel the pairing is fun, easy and not forced.”

Varun confirmed this: “The bonding and banter between Kabir and Junaid (their characters) is what we are trying to bring out. Kabir and Junaid are extremely different in the film.

“Similarly in real life, we have different viewpoints. And that is what makes Dishoom interesting.

“Eventually all this (promotions) doesn’t matter, the film matters and the film is what talks; we can’t force people more than at a level to see the film,” he said.

Dishoom releases worldwide on Friday. – IANS