Go on, Sell Yourself

In an age of hard sell, success depends on how well you market yourself. From stars to spiritual gurus, nobody’s immune to the urban cattle fair

NOT long back, you just completed a project and moved on. An actor's job ended with acting; an author’s, with writing; an artist’s, with painting, and so on. Not any longer. Nowadays, the real work begins after you have completed your work.

Actors, authors, artists, editors are all out there strutting their stuff in the hope of ensnaring as many takers as possible. And in a market where everybody is selling and everybody buying, the going is tough. The ones with the best strategies and long-term planning come out flying while the meek and embarrassed get left far behind.

And the competition is intense, particularly where big bucks are involved. Like Bollywood. No sooner has one star finished his high intensity drive than another takes to the road with his wares, providing the audience one long caravan of entertainment, on-screen as well as off screen. Aamir visiting various cities in disguise, Amitabh doing the Auro dance, Shah Rukh getting down on his knees and getting mock engaged to a girl — all publicity stunts to market movies! Come to that, what else are stars doing on Twitter but marketing themselves and their friends with the fervour of bigots? Amitabh Bachchan has been lamenting this off and on in his blog. As he blogged on December 28, 2009, “Marketing and promotions are now akin to making another movie almost; with the time and energy required for its production, its presentation and its delivery.” Marketing yourself is a pain, at least to the modest and level headed amongst us. And when you know that the fruit of your hard work depends on it, it becomes an intolerable pressure! And yet without it, you cannot hope to succeed. Nobody can deny that 3 Idiots was a phenomenal film, and yet what made it a phenomenon was the acute marketing exercise that accompanied it.

And riding on the crest of this marketing wave were not just Aamir Khan, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Raju Hirani, but also another unlikely candidate --Chetan Bhagat! As a fellow author says, “This was a very cunning strategy devised by Chetan. In management parlance it’s called ‘Attack the Leader’. And once he was assured of the success of 3 Idiots, he chose his moment to attack. Otherwise, why didn’t he protest earlier?” Superb marketing.

M a r ke t i n g oneself isn’t confined to B o l ly wo o d alone. Society women can no longer be just pretty young things. All Beautiful People come with large tags, announcing the brands they endorse. They sculpt their bodies and chisel their faces to attract brands to come hang their wares. It wouldn’t be surprising if a time comes when Beautiful People offer to tattoo brand endorsements on various available parts of their lovely, pricey bodies!

A party can no longer be just a get together of friends. When Naina Balsaver hosted an all-women lunch at Fio in Garden of Five Senses, it wasn’t just the newly-launched restaurant that got the attention they needed, but also W Factor Club who shared sangria knowhow; a lady who read fortunes from coffee dregs; Varun Narayan, the puppeteer who held a show with an undercurrent of erotica; Nu Skin who promoted their anti-ageing products; Dhruv and Pallavi, designers whose clothes kids walked the ramp in; Minola whose canned spinach was given as a thank-you gift to guests along with an evil eye bracelet from Naina’s own jewellery design line, Hair Looms.

So eight brands got promoted at one lunch! You are typically invited to a multi-event evening co-hosted by multiple people through an invite that carries various sponsor logos. An art show c o u l d well be clubbed with the launch of a wine and a fashion show and jazz concert.

Now, must we all sell ourselves? Well, depends. On the one hand, when even spiritual gurus are actively marketing their spiritual wealth, who are we to protest? On the other, do you really have something that needs marketing? And the inclination to hardsell it? Invariably the end result will dictate the answer to this question. At least you have a choice. Which is more than can be said for those stars who have crores riding on their shoulders as they mime and disguise and gyrate and propose under duress, trying to seduce an audience already sold out to another!

In a space overflowing with marketeers bent upon selling themselves, the name of the game is innovative techniques of grabbing them by the balls — eyeballs, of course!

Aamir Khan:The man and his mind

This decade has been kind to Aamir Khan, and yet somewhat cruel too. The actor unwinds to Vinita Dawra Nangia, introspecting on different aspects of his work, life and journey so far.

To transform from the average-guy body of Nikumbh Sir in Taare Zameen Par to a sculpted eight-pack hunk in Ghajini, and then metamorphose into a fresh looking 20-year-old 'small guy' for 3 Idiots is not the work of an ordinary mind. And yes, it is to the mind that Aamir Khan ascribes this achievement.

"When you want something with intensity, the mind kicks in and makes it possible," says the actor sitting comfortably cross-legged on a couch in his Bandra apartment living room. "We don't realise what a powerful tool the human mind is. I cannot explain how I managed the Ghajini body in just a year's time. Or the 20-year-old look for 3 Idiots either. Of course, I applied myself to it, did workouts, and ate right. But many people do that, so this was something beyond. I believe that all my mental energies focused on this one desire, multiplying my efforts manifold. And the impossible was achieved!"

It is noon and Aamir is served breakfast in a tray on his lap, a meager perfect circle of an omelet with a slice of brown bread. Solicitously he offers me a plate of sandwiches, then proceeds to fold up his omelet and bread into a sandwich and bite in. Tea in a transparent cup accompanies the meal.

Wide spaces and open windows bring in a whiff of nature into the modest but comfortably decorated room. On the wall opposite me, a Manjit Bawa holds pride of place, while behind me are abstracts by a French artist couple, handpicked by Aamir and wife Kiran their last trip to France.

In the next room hang three dramatic frames that actor-friend Salman Khan painted of Aamir during the Ghajini days. Do they look like Aamir? I stare awhile and find one seems like a cross between Aamir and Salman himself! "Omigod," declares Binky, Aamir's manager, "That's rather dangerous!" She scuttles out of the room soon after…

Years of intense performances, one super hit after another, and one of the most capable shoulders on which the entertainment industry's fortunes rest — what influences the choices of this, one of the greatest actors of our times? Aamir, still ensconced on his off-white couch, thinks in silence for a moment before he fixes me again with that intense tawny-chocolate gaze. I gradually discover this is his wont. "I do what makes me happy," he declares conclusively. All my decisions are dictated by that, be it films or my personal life. I may make mistakes but at least the mistakes are all mine. I have never allowed myself to be pressurised by anyone. Even as a child, I was strong enough to resist the fears of people who loved me and go for what made me happy.

"When my mother resisted my decision to start working as an assistant in Bollywood at age 16, I told her I wasn't stopping my education, I was just beginning it. I was always very clear about what I wanted."

Dignity, self-respect and a constant sensitivity to others undermine Aamir's quest for happiness. Especially sensitivity. Aamir smiles with a fond, faraway look in his eyes. "I was Maharashtra No 1 in sub-juniors Tennis. Whenever I would emerge after a game, Ammi would be waiting outside to ask, 'Jeete ya hare?' I would invariably have won. She would smile, then get a pensive look and say, 'Jo haara, uski ammi ko kitna kharaab laga hoga…' Then she would start worrying about the mother of the guy who lost to me. I guess this taught me to be sensitive to all around." Aamir is happy, lost in memories. I give him a moment.

This last decade has seen Aamir cross many milestones. The launch of his production house, his first directorial and production ventures, awards for acting, directing and movies, nomination for Oscars and some of his greatest successes, all happened this decade. What has the journey been like?

"As an actor, the last 10 years I have opened up much more, " says Aamir, breaking out of one reverie into another.

"I am eager and more excited to experiment. And, more layered in my performances." A pause during which he stares out of the window. I am getting used to these little silences and resist filling them up. Gazing back at me. Aamir says, "Over the last 20 years I have grown to look more and more inwards. As an actor you are taught acting is emoting externally. If you are happy, you smile; if sad, you cry. In real life we are far more complicated than that. Not everyone necessarily smiles when happy or cries when sad. So today, I no longer focus on showing the joy; my effort is to feel it, to feel what the character I am playing would feel. What comes out of me is very complex and layered."

On the personal front, the decade saw his separation and divorce with wife Reena, mother of his two kids, and remarriage with Kiran Rao. Aamir took four years off from work during which he dealt with regaining his emotional health by being with himself, his children, and even seeking professional help. "I gave a lot of value to my marriage and felt very emotionally damaged when it broke. I was in no state to work in those years. This was also the time I realised however dedicated I may be to work, at the core I need emotional anchoring; being rooted in family is very important to me."

And that is what he feels he has lost out on in all the intense focusing on work and the various avatars he has had to evolve and metamorphose into. Too little time for family. "I am constantly trying to balance that," he says. "That's why I do one film at a time." True to his word, now right after 3 Idiots, Aamir plans an eight-month break from films soon as the marketing blitzkrieg is over.

Aamir Khan's choice of directors has always been a matter of keen gossip. He is said to choose directors (Rakeysh Mehra, Ashutosh Gowariker, etc) who haven't been doing too well. And he goes on to deliver all-time great hits with them. As a result, common belief is that Aamir chooses "flop directors" and ghost directs all his movies with them.

"Not true at all," he asserts. "Why would I give another person credit if the work is mine? On the other hand, why would I take away another's credit? The truth is I choose to work with directors whom I consider talented, whether or not they have delivered hits."

Not only does Aamir not 'ghost direct' his films, he claims he doesn't even interfere with the director's work. "When I listen to the script, if I don't love what I hear, I don't take it up; if I love it, there's nothing to change! I discuss, may question, but ultimately I go along with what the director wants."

If Aamir chooses his directors for their talent, the choice of movies is more instinctive. On the face of it, each of the stories he has figured in has been unique and dissimilar to the others. Aamir walks down memory lane. "The only common pattern has been that each of these stories moved me emotionally. I become the audience when I hear the scripts."

If you think Aamir knows outright that he has a winner on hand, that's not true. He confirms. "I make the most impractical decisions. And commercial success is the last thing on my mind when I'm working on a film. My mind doesn't go in that direction; I just focus on enjoying the process and the work. If I thought of success, I would never have taken up any of my films — Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, TZP, Rang de Basanti, Mangal Pandey or 3 Idiots!"

The years have seen Aamir ease up and chill. He admits to having consciously worked on all troubled relationships in his life, including with media. "I learnt a lot as a result of Taare Zameen Par; that movie changed me and I became even more sensitive to people and their realities. A psychiatrist I met during research for TZP told me all children need Security, Trust & Faith, Dignity & Self-respect, and Love. I realised I need the same things and so does everybody around. I decided to apply this learning to all relationships and this is what helped me understand and interact better with media as well."

Time has flown as we talk and I have stayed much beyond what I intended. Aamir doesn't mind and smiles as he walks me to the door. Barefoot in jeans and shirt, he still retains the 'Rancho' look. I wonder what he will become for the next film. For, in this actor's case, he doesn't walk into or don a role with the help of make-up and acting; he actually becomes it!