Anamika Promotion: Harshavardhan Rane Goes Missing

If you happen to wait at a traffic signal in Hyderabad and see a "missing" poster featuring actor Harshavardhan Rane, don't be shocked because it's just a promo for upcoming Telugu thriller Anamika, the remake of Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani. The actor, who was initially shocked to find the posters, says he doesn't mind doing anything for his films.

Harshavardhan Rane told IANS, "Nobody from the film's unit informed me about these posters. I was shocked to find them on the roads, at traffic signals and all over Hyderabad. But then I don't mind doing anything to promote my film. It has created a lot of curiosity among the audience."

Nayantara is reprising the role of Vidya in Anamika, which will feature Rane in the role of a husband gone missing. Harshavardhan Rane added, "Friends and relatives started calling me to find out if I was fine. The youngsters in the family quickly understood that it was all part of promotional strategy; the elders were not so quick to get it. I'm glad that it has caught the eyes of so many."

For the recent festival of Sankranti, kites were sold with the missing photograph of the actor. The actor said, "A lot of my friends told me that they found kites flying with my picture during Sankranti in Hyderabad. I think it was a brilliant idea to promote on kites, especially during the festival."

Asked if he feels Telugu industry lacks the expertise in promotions, he said, "Our films with stars absolutely need not worry about promotions because audiences are automatically drawn to cinemas because of their emotional connect with the stars. However, it's not the same in the case of smaller films."

"In the last two years, smaller films have shown a lot of creativity in the promotional department. Promotions are very important for concept-based films because the concept becomes the creative part in them. I still remember the promotions for Telugu film D for Dopidi. It was fresh and innovative," he added.

In D for Dopidi, about four unfit robbers, the lead cast, wore masks during the promotional tour of the film. Directed by Sekhar Kammula, Anamika also features Pasupathy and Vaibhav Reddy in important roles.