Raghav Juyal and Lakshya’s blood-soaked film Kill released a week after Kalki 2898 AD and boy, what a competition it was to watch! On one hand, all eyes were on the Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan-starrer to see if it keeps up the momentum of its opening weekend in its second week. On the other hand, trade experts were also keeping a close eye on the critically acclaimed Kill’s performance. Despite the clash, small-budget film Kill held its ground and recorded an opening weekend collection of Rs 6.25 Cr, an applaud-worthy feat.
However, should the makers of Kill have waited another week to let the Kalki 2898 AD wave to wear out and get a relatively bigger space for release? Raghav Juyal believes that it was the perfect release slot for Kill. Speaking exclusively with News18 Showsha, Raghav said he is thrilled that Kill is taken in the same breath as Kalki 2898 AD.
“I feel so proud that there is me and Lakshya on one side, there is Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Prabhas and Kamal Haasan on the other side. We are kids, we were inspired by them and moved to Mumbai and now, we have our film running in theatres along with theirs and are able to bring in the audiences for our shows. For me, this is a big deal," he said.
“I feel that it was a good thing. Every news outlet is saying that despite of Kalki 2898 AD, Kill is bringing people to theatres. This news is an achievement. That is a big budget film while ours is a low budget film. For us, this is an achievement. Who are we in comparison to these stars? We’ve learnt so much from them, we’ve performed his iconic scenes in front of the mirror. It is an achievement for me that this is how I have arrived as an actor in the industry," Raghav added.
Kill took a rather untraditional marketing approach to spread the word about the film’s release. Steering away from pre-release interviews and promotional activities, they banked on the brilliant response the film got at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and chose to do multiple screenings for the media. A move that Kiran Rao resorted to during the release of Laapataa Ladies earlier this year.
The word of mouth was great from the screenings and following the release, audiences also raved about the film. This positive reaction propelled more people to walk into the theatre. Speaking about it, Raghav said that the word of mouth has worked tremendously well for Kill.
“It is the word which is really helping. We didn’t go all out with the promotions. It was a film shown at a film festival, we then hosted screenings and I think this is the first film where we hosted multiple screenings for the media and opened the platform for questions to the media at the screening. We had that confidence in our film. This was the producers’ call and this was risky move — to show the film to critics and journalists, and we stand in front of them to answer every question they have," Raghav explained.
He also added that after the release, he walked into a theatre on a Tuesday evening to see the audiences’ reactions and noticed that it was a housefull show, a sight that moved Raghav.
Watch the whole interview below:
Kill is currently running in theatres. The film is directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and is backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions as well as Guneet Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment. The film will be remade in Hollywood. The rights have been bought by the makers of John Wick.
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