Padmaavat controversy forcing brands to rethink their Bollywood connections

A recent report by ESP indicates that annually, companies spend close to Rs 1 billion on co-branded marketing media spends for Hindi films

As Padmaavat gears up for its much-delayed release, the buzz around the film may have created its own self-propelling marketing machine but, brands that are now a key element of film promotions, are missing in action. Quite uncharacteristically so, given that the movie produced by Viacom 18 was mounted on a massive Rs 1.3 billion budget and would have ideally recouped at least 18-20 per cent of its cost through brand tie-ups. And marketers fear, this could be a sign of the times to come, as politics over popular culture turns vicious and violent.

The film’s latest poster, with the revised