Tamil
producer
CV
Kumar,
known
for
films
like
Attakathi,
Pizza
and
Soodhu
Kavvum,
credits
word-of-mouth
promotion
as
one
of
the
reasons
for
his
success,
adding
that
it's
vital
for
any
low-budget
movie.
"If
the
budget
of
a
film
is
less
than
Rs
5
crore,
then
it's
unlikely
that
a
producer
can
shell
out
more
on
promotions.
In
such
cases,
word-of-mouth
is
very
important
for
low-budget
films
because
I
believe
it
has
helped
all
my
three
films
to
do
exceptionally
well
at
the
Box
Office," Kumar
told
IANS.
"It's
through
positive
word-of-mouth
audiences
come
back
to
watch
a
film.
Most
people
watched
Pizza
and
Soodhu
Kavvum
more
than
once
because
they
liked
it
and
the
buzz
around
the
film
was
kept
alive
due
to
the
talk,"
he
added.
Kumar,
however,
says
there
is
a
flip
side
to
the
word-of-mouth
promotion,
which
entails
risk.
The
director
feels
that
"conventional
methods
of
promotions"
should
also
be
considered
as
word-of-mouth
is
"extremely
powerful
and
risky
and
it
can
backfire
if
the
talk
around
the
film
is
negative".
"It
spreads
like
fire,
positive
or
negative
and,
therefore,
one
needs
to
be
careful,"
Kumar
said.
"Even
before
critics
review
a
film,
people
tweet
about
it
nowadays.
They
either
appreciate
the
film
or
pan
it
and
its
impact
will
reflect
on
the
film,"
he
added.
He
says
everything
boils
down
to
the
content
of
a
film.
"Positive
or
negative
word-of-mouth
eventually
depends
on
the
content
of
a
film.
If
viewers
like
a
film,
then
they
will
recommend
it
to
their
friends
and
family,
and
if
it's
bad,
then
they
will
also
urge
others
not
to
waste
money,"
he
said.
Is
it
because
of
social
media
audiences' verdict
has
become
powerful?
Agreeing
with
the
fact
that
"social
media
has
become
extremely
powerful
in
the
last
few
years",
Kumar
added,
"I
remember
few
years
back
people
used
to
watch
a
film,
come
out
and
tell
their
friends
about
it,
but
nowadays
they
tweet
or
post
on
Facebook
after
every
scene."
Kumar
is
currently
awaiting
the
release
of
Tamil
horror-thriller
Pizza
2,
a
sequel
to
Pizza.
IANS