Naseeruddin Shah questions film promotions: 'They serve no purpose'

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, whose latest series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack premiered recently, expressed his belief that film promotions have become unnecessary and fail to generate genuine audience interest.

During a roundtable discussion with his co-stars Vijay Varma, Arvind Swami, Pankaj Kapur, and director Anubhav Sinha, Shah candidly shared his thoughts on the futility of promotions. He remarked, "I don’t see the point. It seems more like a way for actors to get their faces on television rather than genuinely boosting a film’s appeal."

Reflecting on his experiences, Shah recalled how, in his youth, the anticipation for films like those of Dilip Kumar was built over years, without the need for excessive promotion. He emphasized that audiences ultimately decide what they want to watch, regardless of how much effort is put into marketing a film.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, now streaming on Netflix, is based on the harrowing hijack of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999, which ultimately landed in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan.