The Impact Of Titles On Marketing Strategies
The first teaser of Azaad created a buzz even before it was released. Titles possess marketing power and Azaad was no exception. The first title release was enough to evoke emotions and praise. The title was Azaad. One word. So many feelings. The marketing team did not have to break a sweat marketing and Azaad. The title was enough to gain immense popularity and praise even before detail regarding the film was released.
The anticipation was justified to an extent. One of the first teasers was Azaad-lovic backdrop. The marketing team created a promotional poster of the character and cape standing against a burning Azaad with a fierce look. The teaser was enough to evoke anger and anticipation. The anticipation was for the answer to the burning question on people’s minds to question the marketing. The expectation was to answer the anger of Azaad.
The Following Expectations
The marketing of Azaar was fueled by the success of its mate lead Aryan Khanna. Aryan released the film from a 2 year drought then. Onback2backgreat comedial betrayals, Aryan’s critics were devestated, calling him ”outdated, disrespectful, ” and even ”done for”. The marketing him for a commercial success. Aryan’s journey was a prime example of the consequences of digital marketing in the 21st century.
The Digital Marketing and self named Azaad responsible for rising job expectations.When \Azaad/ was first announced, a gritty drama about a man fighting the system and his own past, fans believed Aryan was finally getting the role that would allow him to show his full potential. His fans claimed one thing on social media, \This time, he will silence everyone.\
And then we had the director, Samar Mehta, revered for his realism and his ability to draw out unexpected performances, even from the most experienced veterans. With him, Aryan’s arc of redemption suddenly became a possibility.
A story that starts quietly and burns slowly
\Azaad/ does not start with an explosion or a rallying speech. Instead, it opens up with a tranquil quiet that smoothly segues into a wide shot of a desert road, which a man is walking, one solitary figure dragging a small metal trunk behind him. This man is Azaad Khan, a former school teacher, and a somewhat unwilling revolutionary. His life is not about dramatic heroism, and he does not wear the badge of one, either. It is just a life with the sort of history that is full of open wounds: A missing family, a betrayal, a village that has forgotten to dream, and a court that is a cheap farce.
Aryan has mastered the art of restraint with his performance. He spends the first twenty minutes barely lifting his voice. Rather, he lets his weary eyes do the performance. Viewers immediately feel the paradox of the character; one who cannot stand any more injustice from the system, yet despises who he has become fighting against the system.
Azaad Asad’s story, as it unfolds, depicts the character’s recruitment of unusual comrades. They are a former journalist, a roving musician, and a girl in her teens who lost her father in a government raid. Their and the protagonist’s emotional story lines are finely woven together as follows.
Radhika Sen, the journalist played by Maya Kaur, is battling the system, but it seems she’s battling the strongest opponent, her own guilt. She used to speak the truth, reporting it unflinchingly. However, she became silenced by intimidation for years. The character became Maya’s comeback from her off-screen break she had taken for her own mental health and has since returned to the industry with a renewed clarity.
Playing the role of the musician is Imran Shahid who as Rehan acts as the film’s spiritual center, as he is a singer of the protest ballads. However, he suffers from a personal loss; his brother was enacted as a traitor. Known for his showy romances during film appearances, and surprise of all, for portraying this character with such earthy and vulnerable skills. He hits the audience with the statement this film “stripped me of all vanity,” of course, during the film’s promotional speeches.
Meher represents the driving force behind the revolutionary activities starring the face of the teenager. The role of Ananya Rathore seems as if it is her debut performance, and her acting is so real and natural, it is at times, felt like a documentary. Meher is the one who brings Azaad to remember the scope of hope as opposed to just anger.
They, along with Meher, form a revolutionary movement that is more centered around truth-telling, reclaiming dignity, and land rights as opposed to just taking up arms.
The Cinematic Punch — Where It Works Like Fire
Samar Mehta has the outstanding ability to manage the moods and sentiments, and it is one of his greatest skills. The color palette, which was made up of brown dust, faded shades of grey, and the hand-held style of movement of the camera, gave Azaad a feel and a soul that is as if it has really lived. It does not feel like a single frame is there for decoration. Every frame has something it demands the viewer to engage with. Action scenes (if they can be called that) also have a tone which disconnects the viewer from what they should, hopeless is the word that comes to mind, they treat action as if it comes with a purpose, and that purpose is exceeding the limit of action presented.
Multiple scenes are worthy to be mentioned:
The trench scene, where Azaad and his companions take cover from a patrol unit, is lit up only by a dying, barely flickering light.
The bus scene, which was one single take, hand-held and shakily filmed drastic views of the bus.
The radio scene that has been presented in many movies, Radhika, who has managed to deliver a closing message to the nation, was doing underground radio and it is one of the best moments brought to life by Maya during the film.
Traditional folk music, qawwali, and minimalist percussion create the resounding ambiance. Rehan’s repeating vocal line and melody, ”Raakh se Uthenge”, was a hit one non-released song and contributed even more to the excitement surrounding the project.
Where the Film Falters (Because Even Revolutions Have Cracks)
While Azaad is a remarkable and revolutionary project, not everything hits spectacularly. The second half is a bit slow, and is a result of the difficult symbolism that’s presented. The online monologue that compares democracy to a cracked clay pot is one that people virally circulated not out of enjoyment, but due to an unclear hesitation to clap versus a clear hesitation to wincing.
Some people, critics and otherwise, thought the relationship dynamic, the one that is supposed to drive the whole film, was undercooked. It is adequate to create an ambience of simmering tension, but adequate is not quite enough. It is a purposeful choice, but a choice that makes it emotionally unresolved.
Although the climax drives the message home the impact is unfortunately the normalized martyrdom that so many other political dramas have been integrating. The scenes lose even more impact due to a disconnect, but it’s a disconnect delicate enough to be saved through grounded honesty with the fine, and also impectable, performances presented to us.
Inspiration from the Characters’ Real Lives
Azaad’s character arc is almost a reflection of Aryan’s struggles with self-doubt and external negativity. In interviews, Aryan discussed how, during the filming, he kept to himself and would not eat lunch, and he remained in character throughout the day. His fellow actors described how Aryan chose not to use the on-set trailers and instead interacted with the local villagers. This might have been a way for him to reconnect with himself, which reflects the film’s theme.
Having Maya reclaim her voice in the film was further elevated by the fact that she had stepped away from acting and the consequence of that had her missing a large part of the reclaiming.
A gift to the film was the surprise of Imran’s character shift from love interest to deeply connected friend. It was the sort of acting that is effortless.
Unshared Rumblings of the Set
Like all films, especially ones that tackle heavy topics, Azaad was not without his secrets, Some members of the crew for the film shared some of them with us:
A protest was happening as the filming crew was on location, A protest that a local student group. Rather than stopping the shoot, Samar, the director, filmed the protest and later used it in the film’s montage.
While on a night shoot and feeling dehydrated, Aryan passed out but would not go to the hospital, as he was worried about the costs and wanted to stay on the timeline with the team.
Ananya was said to only have a two minute video for the audition which was only of her crying to a news article she was reading, and on the spot, Samar cast her for the role.
Some people started a bit of controversy with the previously released teaser on the grounds that it was anti-establishment and of course, there were heated debates on censorship, but none of it made news. Insiders claimed that some of the dialogue was toned down.
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