Will Shah Rukh's cameo help Brahmastra?

In the olden days it was designated as a special or a guest appearance and it was never promoted. But these days – the same job is called a cameo and it is promoted by way of informing the media or a few important media friends that an actor is playing a cameo in the upcoming film to increase the curiosity among the audience.

When Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan pulled in favours from the entire industry assembling a multitude of cameos in the Om Shanti Om title song, it made sense in a film which had an interesting plotline and was made well.

But the very Shah Rukh Khan’s film Zero which not only saw Salman Khan doing a cameo in lieu of SRK doing one in his flop film Tubelight – but a bevy of actresses from Sridevi to Karisma Kapoor, Juhi Chawla to Ranu Mukerji and Alia Bhatt to Deepika Padukone in it and it was seriously a wasted effort judging by the fate of the Aanand L Rai directed film.

Akshay Kumar’s role in next year’s Valentine’ Day release – Atrangi Re, directed by Aanand L Rai and co-starring Dhanush as well as Sara Ali Khan will see Akshay in what is being billed as an extended cameo. 

“If it is a significant role in the context of the film, it makes sense. It made sense for a Hrithik Roshan to do a cameo in Don 2, it made sense for Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar to be in Simmba because they added a lot to the film. But a lot of people are into mindless cameos these days,” says a trade source.

Interestingly two upcoming films Sooryavanshi as well as Brahmastra has some very special appearances as well. Sooryavanshi will see both Ajay Devgn who was Bajirao Singham before in Rohit Shetty’s film Singham and Ranveer Singh who was Sangram Bhalerao alias Simmba in Shetty’s film Simmba in special appearances.   Shah Rukh Khan too is going to be seen in a very special appearance in the Karan Johar produced Ayan Mukerji directed film Brahmastra:Part One. Brahmastra is going to be Karan’s most expensive film till date and also stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna and Mouni Roy in lead roles. Shah Rukh had also played a cameo earlier in the Karan Johar directed film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which starred Ranbir Kapoor.  Ranbir Kapoor himself played a cameo in the Aamir Khan starrer PK for director Rajkumar Hirani.

“There is no way that big star cameos are going to help in terms of getting better box office collections,” says veteran publicity expert Rajesh Vasani of Paras Publicity. “Whatever the extent of the publicity may be, it is only the content that works,” opines Vasani.

Interestingly content film specialist Bhumi Pednekar will also be seen doing two cameos in a single week. While she reunites with her Dum Laga Ke Haisha co-star in the Hitesh Kewalya directed film Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, she will also be seen doing a cameo in the Vicky Kaushal film for Karan Johar called Bhoot: Part One: The Haunted Ship. Now we want to see which film does the audience go to see – just to see Bhumi. Or will it just be the content that remains king?

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