Bhay trailer launch: PR Agency Moe’s Art hits record low, gags senior-most journalist
As a journalist writing about various media events and reviewing content, I am usually contacted by PR agencies via WhatsApp, when something is coming up. Some of them even send WhatsApp reminders, or even call me, to confirm my attendance. Not all journalists are favoured by all agencies. Some are boycotted and never invited, obviously because they do not agree to play ball or get manipulated, and, perhaps, as the grapevine goes, refuse to sell their souls. Luckily, I have never been approached with a ‘proposition’, but there are a few PR agencies who do not invite me, for reasons unknown, and kept as tight secrets. Be my guests. I only go when I am invited. And I always write about the events I attend. It is rumoured that not all media-persons attending events write about them.
At 95% of events, the media is provided with some snacks and drinks. YashRaj Films lays out a full lunch buffet. Some others also extend the invitation to include dinner, or snack boxes. One of the smallest agencies that always invites me, which would be a fraction of Moe’s Art in terms of financials, makes it a point to serve us a boxful of snacks, along with tea/coffee. After all, many media-persons spend up to seven hours, travelling to and fro, and attending the event/film show, which may last for up to three hours, and may start up to 150 minutes late.
It is common courtesy to offer refreshments at such events, and downright mean not to do so. The quantity or quality of the menu might vary, and that too reflects on the regard the agency has for media-persons. Media budgets for films, TV, OTT and related events, these days, are, in tens of crores. Any sane agency should not “save” a few thousand rupees, by denying the media these little necessities that kill hunger pangs. Anybody attending an event is more likely to engage with it if he/she does not have to go hungry. But…surprise, surprise, sometimes, they do have to go hungry. A small minority of PR agencies, on occasions, either do not arrange for any eatables, or do not stock enough to cater to the numbers that attend, and some have to grin and bear it. I have had the occasion of attending two such events, organised by the agency Moe’s Art. Once before, a couple of years ago, I guess, from memory, and once below, yesterday.
For the launch of the trailer of the film Bhay: The Gaurav Tiwari Mystery, produced by Amazon MX, they chose the picturesque Band Stand Amphitheatre, Bandra, as the venue, and 6 pm as the time. Since I live close by, I managed to leave at 5.30 pm and reach by 6 sharp. The venue was practically empty. I was greeted with ear-shattering, ominous, eerie music, that played on and on, and was heard as loudly, wherever you chose to sit. From 6.45 to 7.15, a compère, who called himself an entertainer, kept adjusting his microphone sound levels and filters, telling the sound team to raise or lower the treble, bass and mid frequencies, time and again. He also kept telling the audience that the show would start in “a few minutes”, every five minutes, for half-an-hour. It started, at 7.15 pm and ended at 8.30 pm. Bad, but I have had much longer waits at some other events.
Bhay, directed by Robbie (sometimes spelt Robby) Grewal, a man who believes in ghosts and had met Gaurav, stars Karan Tacker, Jennifer K Preston, Kalki Koechlin, Mansi Chawla, Saloni Batra, Priyankka Beia, Ed Robinson and Nimisha Nair. Kalki could not be present, so she sent a video message, apparently shot on a flight. And she did a good job of it. It was screened before the trailer. Robbie’s credits include Romeo Akbar Walter, MP3: Mera Pehla Pyaar and Samay: When