<i>Tajmahal</i> to be released again back home

Thursday, May 18, 2006
Mumbai (UNI): After showcasing Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story in Pakistan, Akbar Khan is now working on a detailed marketing strategy to re-launch the film in India. ''The fact that the film is a huge success in Pakistan speaks about the film's calibre and the release strategy that worked excellently for the film. Unfortunately, the Indian release of the film was a very callous one, which badly affected its prospects. But I now intend to rectify what happened,'' Mr Khan said.

He says he has taken inspiration from 'Braveheart' and 'Cinderella', which flopped due to faulty marketing plans in their initial run, but turned out to be blockbusters, when released again. ''Mr Khan plans to work out the distribution and release strategy himself, to the minutest detail this time. A gamut of PR exercises will create a mammoth buzz to ensure that the film is talked-about the most during its re-release,'' informs Mr Khan's publicist Dale Bhagwagar. ''As it has already happened with the film's release in Pakistan, this time around the world will sit up and see, how accurate marketing can elevate an already released film to newer heights,'' he adds. Mr Khan refutes reports that Taj Mahal has not done well in Pakistan and had to be pulled out of theatres in the neighbouring country.

Soon after the re-release of Taj Mahal, Akbar Khan will embark upon his next ambitious historical 'Genghis Khan', portions of which will be shot in Peshawar in Pakistan. Mr Khan also plans to use actors from Pakistan in this venture. ''I see the cultural ties between the two countries happening faster than we thought,'' quips an enthusiastic Khan.