The popularity of the blockbuster series, Bahubali, helped filmmaker SS Rajamouli to promote RRR in the Hindi Speaking audience, which is the importance of audience research in the film industry in India. The team found out that many viewers in North India knew more about Baahubali than Rajamouli, according to the marketing executive involved in the promotion of the film, Varun Gupta. The insight proved to be fruitful in planning the Hindi marketing strategy for Ramcharan and Jr NTR’s RRR. The campaign was not done by just relying on the main actors’ faces, by pairing the new movie with a known name.
Prior to the announcement of RRR, Rajamouli sought the feedback of the marketing team on how well the audience was aware of him and his cast in Tier-2 cities and other Northern Indian areas. Gupta said the study focused on if people knew Ram Charan and Jr NTR, what were their favorite movies and whether they knew Rajamouli or Baahubali. The survey included cities such as Nagpur, Indore, Ahmedabad and Lucknow, to get a sense of the comfort level of the audience in different regions. The results revealed that a lot of Hindi speakers recognized Baahubali better, which could be used as a better benchmark for the coming movie’s promotion.
Therefore, the Hindi promotional posters for RRR played up its association with Baahubali, and featured the slogan ‘From the director of Baahubali’. The brand helped give the audience an introduction to the new project of Rajamouli, as they may not have recognised his name or the film’s Telugu actors right away. Gupta also clarified that Rajamouli wanted the marketing to have done more than rely on the presence of Hindi-film celebrities Ajay Devgan and Alia Bhatt. The case study illustrated the impact of the familiarity of audiences in different regions on advertising and positioning of a film.
In 2022, RRR was released and had a big commercial success in India and abroad. According to The Indian Express’s report dated 20 December 2022, the Hindi release of the movie has grossed around ₹274.31 crore in India’s Hindi-speaking regions. It was made a success due to its wide action scenes, Ram Charan and Jr NTR stunts, music, and the massive promotion. “Naatu Naatu” went on to become a popular international anthem, even earning the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2023. Yes, the marketing was a factor in creating awareness but it would be wrong to say that the whole success of the film can be pegged on the Baahubali branding.
The lesson for filmmakers, who want to go beyond home-language audiences is obvious in Rajamouli’s approach. This campaign proved how much dedication and research in the region and in the region, and the knowledge of the film, can help establish a new film in new audiences. The positive impact of the movie’s success had already built Rajamouli’s reputation among the Hindi movie-going audience and they capitalised on that familiarity to make RRR connect with the audience. The example also showcases the significance of strategic marketing in pan-India cinema, where movies are being played across languages and regions in competition with each other. The RRR team’s research-driven approach to promotion demonstrated how audience research can improve the telling of a story, the use of star power, and the ambition of a film.
