Laughing it forward: Vir Das, Happy Patel and a new language of film marketing!

Happy Patel Khatarnak Jasoos’s film marketing is one for the books, arguably executed even better than the film itself, and a masterclass the industry can learn a lot from!

The words “marketing” and “content” have become staples of our times. Art has slowly been subsumed under the umbrella of content, whether it is films, series, or reels; everything is content now. And while creating content is one thing, the real struggle today lies in making it visible and accessible. That, in itself, has become an art, one that demands constant reinvention and out-of-the-box thinking.

And let’s be honest, after the whole #Barbenheimer moment, the film marketing game has fundamentally changed. Actors doing the usual promotional rounds - podcasts, interviews, TV appearances are still important, but they’re no longer enough. If everything is content, then each piece needs a distinct personality. One-size-fits-all marketing simply doesn’t work anymore. Something the team behind Happy Patel Khatarnak Jassos understood remarkably well.

To begin with, Vir Das’ directorial debut is so distinct in flavour that it demanded a completely different approach to reach audiences. As the film itself suggests, recipes may remain the same, but it’s the hands that make them which add that extra touch. Similarly, a satirical comedy, something that may not be everyone’s cup of tea, needed a strategy that could make it accessible without diluting its identity.

Much like the film itself, which, on the surface, is an absurd comedy about a wannabe London-based NRI spy on a covert mission in India. Happy Patel is also a sharp commentary on identity. It pokes fun at male-dominated violent saviour narratives and calls out how insecurities around brown skin continue to be capitalised on through products like fairness creams. More than that, it offers plenty of food (quite literally) for thought! From a woman slapping as a reflex action, pointing to how deeply women are conditioned by harassment to a soft-coded man grappling with his identity in an aggressively hypermasculine world, only to realise that everything Bollywood teaches doesn’t actually work in real life. This layered tone became the backbone of its marketing.

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The campaign kicked off with a now-viral video featuring Aamir Khan and Vir Das, where Khan is seen beating up Das for making a “wacky film no one will understand,” only for it to end as a release date announcement. This was followed by the trailer launch, again framed as a fight between the two over whose cut of the trailer should be released, with Das repeatedly getting slapped, mirroring what happens to his character in the film. It felt like the audience was being gently prepared for the chaos ahead.

Then came the masterstroke - a meta promotional video where Sunil Grover plays Aamir Khan, pays money to Das for the film and the sequel, and throws the real Aamir Khan out of the room for being a duplicate. The timing was perfect as Grover was already being widely praised for his Aamir Khan impersonation on The Great Indian Kapil Show, and the campaign smartly tapped into that moment. It underlined the film’s absurd, self-aware humour and its love for meta jokes. Something that carries through the film itself, from a kung-fu masala fight set to Balam Pichkarito Imran Khan, Kunal Roy Kapur, and Vir Das in Delhi Belly-style madness. 

The promotions didn’t stop there. A Delhi Belly fan meet was organised around the release, tapping straight into nostalgia. Songs like Chanta Tera and Phukt Apan were pushed with wild, chaotic visuals that matched the energy of today’s reel culture. And then there were Vir Das’ own videos - short, candid snippets beginning with “Marketing will kill me to reveal this, but…” where he poked fun at the very idea of film promotions.

What truly stood out, though, were the audience-first gestures in this entire film marketing campaign. From student discounts on tickets, free drinks at SOCIAL, and special offers for people who had ever attended a comedy show on BookMyShow. It was marketing that didn’t just sell a film, it rewarded people for showing up and laughing.

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In many ways, this campaign couldn’t have been more Vir Das-coded. He isn’t just a stand-up comedian; he’s someone who values the act of collective laughter - whether it’s a loud, unmistakable laugh, a quiet giggle at an inside joke, or an entire room laughing together in unison. Something that his film Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jassosalso does. It may stumble narratively in places, but it is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. 

And that’s the point. Laughter is medicine, Bollywood our obsession, and food our pleasure. Vir Das understands that, just as clearly as the marketing team behind the film did. This is the kind of film marketing we need more of where moment marketing speaks of the film, by the film, and for the film, not just for attention!

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