Kabzaa: 'No 5 am shows, no premieres, no hype - what is this strategy!' say infuriated fans

The pre-release promotions of Kabzaa continue to baffle everyone as the advance bookings of the film open to an underwhelming response. The film hits theatres worldwide on March 17th and many had expected the advance bookings to be nothing less than a stormy affair, considering that Kabzaa has been billed as the 'next big thing' from the Kannada Film Industry. Things, interestingly, tended in the opposite direction with no significant spark seen yet as far as online advance ticket sales are concerned.

In Bengaluru, only a handful of shows are currently (as of 6 pm, March 15th) in the 'Fast Filling' status with the rest of them trailing behind in the 'Available' category. The same pattern exists across all the major regions in Karnataka, including Mangaluru, Hubballi, Tumakaru and other areas. Mysuru, however, is showing small encouraging signs. Nevertheless, for a film that has been strikingly modelled on the KGF franchise, one hoped to see more excitement among the audiences.

Another highlight in the advance bookings is the lack of early morning/ pre-sunrise shows which had become quite the rage among all the big-ticket releases. KGF 2 boasted shows that began as early as 4 am in Bengaluru and due to a similar demand across the country, regions like Tamil Nadu urged theatres to arrange special shows between 12 am and 7 am. This was the case with other big Kannada releases like Vedha and Kranti but the makers of Kabzaa, surprisingly, are yet to pay heed to this trend.

As it turns out, the ardent supporters of Kannada cinema are quite disappointed with the approach of team Kabzaa, with respect to the pre-release publicity. "Atleast they should do some EMS in some theatres," said one disgruntled user, referring to the lack of any Early Morning Shows. 

"Terrible.... will have below par opening..imagine in KA...other languages hardly any buzz....old model PR was followed few interviews some road shows etc won't work for a new product..needed visionary marketing campaign....only extraordinary WOM can save this movie now..." said another user, addressing the evidently large elephant in the room.

"#Kabzaa should do premieres! Bookings are below par.... 2 days to release and still no early morning shows opened? Many want to watch but all are waiting for reviews to come out," said another user to put things in perspective.

In the name of promotions, R. Chandru and Co. have made a few obligatory appearances in front of the media, albeit without really sharing any excitement about their own film. Kiccha Sudeep, who has become the marquee member of the film despite his considerably small role in the film, too, has been mostly absent in the publicity campaign. The team organized a special pre-release event recently in Bengaluru that included the entire cast of the film and a few special guests like Dhananjaya but that, too, failed to impress. 

Could it be that the makers of Kabzaa are quite confident about their product and do not deem large-scale promotions to be necessary? Or is it the case of lethargy and not having enough faith in their own film? We will find out very soon.