Stunt man to Star director

Suraj leaned back in his office chair, staring at the poster of Raw's Rampage that he had just shared on StarGram. The poster featured a dark, intense image of the protagonist standing against a backdrop of chaos, with the tagline, "The rise of the shadow, the fall of order." Mythic Productions and Bharat+ accounts posted it simultaneously, but the response was underwhelming.

He scrolled through the comments section, trying to gauge the audience's reaction. Most comments were indifferent or skeptical:

@True4Watcher: "Another OTT flop? Yawn."

@king365: "Never heard of this series. Budget OTT content is a waste of time."

@ChaiAndCinema: "Looks like an attempt to cash in on the crime genre trend. No thanks."

@kamalsahoo:"as I loved bloody commondo I would watch it ...

Suraj sighed. Despite all the effort that went into Ravan's Rampage, the initial reaction was disappointing. He couldn't blame them; Bharat's audience had developed a strong bias against OTT series due to the influx of low-quality content.

Later that evening, as he scrolled through QTube, a trending video caught his eye. It featured Rahul Khanna, a rising star in Bharat's film industry, on a popular talk show. Rahul, who had once disrespected Suraj during a casting discussion, was now promoting his latest movie.

In the clip, the anchor asked Rahul, "In recent times, have you received any unreasonable offers or bizarre character proposals?"

Rahul smirked and replied, "I won't name names, but there was this offer for a character in an OTT series from what used to be a leading production house." He paused dramatically, letting the audience hang on his words. "The character outline was decent, and the story was okay. But then I saw the budget they mentioned—something like 15 to 20 crores. I mean, who does that for an OTT series? It was laughable."

The audience chuckled, and Rahul laughed along, brushing it off. "Next question, please."

Suraj clenched his jaw as he read through the comments below the clip.

@BollywoodBanter: "15 CR for an OTT series? Someone's delusional!"

@Realr@mesh: "Must be one of those dying production houses trying to stay relevant. What a joke!"

@Desidenesh: "OTT series in Bharat aren't worth even 1 CR, let alone 15 CR. Smh."

The clip was quickly going viral, with people mocking the unnamed production house. The implications were clear—Rahul's remarks were stirring doubts about Ravan's Rampage and fueling the negative buzz.

The next morning, Suraj called for an emergency meeting at Mythic Productions. The entire team gathered, the atmosphere tense. Everyone had seen the clip, and the mocking comments were hard to ignore.

One of the employees hesitantly suggested, "Maybe we should reach out to Rahul's team and clarify the misunderstanding? At least get him to retract his statement?"

Suraj shook his head firmly. "No, we're not going to do that. Rahul didn't name us directly, and trying to clarify would only confirm people's suspicions. Instead, we're going to use this negativity to our advantage."

The room fell silent. The employees exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of where Suraj was going with this.

"We're going to promote Ravan's Rampage as exactly what Rahul implied—a 15-crore budget series," Suraj said, a hint of a smirk on his face.

His words were met with stunned disbelief. One executive finally spoke up, "But, sir… the clip is viral, and people are already mocking the idea. Promoting the series as a 15-crore project would be like admitting we're the ones Rahul was talking about."

"Exactly," Suraj said, leaning forward. "Right now, people think this is a joke. But jokes and controversies spread faster than anything else. Bharat's audience already has a negative perception of OTT series—they assume they're a waste of time. So, let's use that perception. Let's get them curious enough to see if we've really wasted 15 crores or if we've created something extraordinary."

Another employee hesitated before asking, "But what if they watch just to criticize it?"

"That's the point," Suraj replied. "Negativity draws attention. Even if people tune in out of curiosity or to mock us, our work will speak for itself. We've poured months of effort into this series, and I believe the quality of the script, the acting, and the production will change their minds. All we need is to get them to watch the first episode."

The room slowly began to fill with nods of understanding. The employees realized the brilliance of the strategy. In Bharat's entertainment industry, where positive promotion often struggled to break through the noise, negative buzz could create an overwhelming response.

One executive, still cautious, asked, "But how do we frame it? We can't just outright say, 'Hey, here's the 15-crore series Rahul was talking about.'"

Suraj smiled. "Leave that to me. We'll release a series of cryptic teasers and posts, playing into the narrative without confirming it directly. Something like: '15 crores, 8 episodes, 1 legend. Are you ready for Ravan's Rampage?' We'll let the audience make the connection themselves."

As the meeting wrapped up, the team left with a renewed sense of purpose. They understood the risks, but they also trusted Suraj's vision.

That evening, Suraj sat in his office, drafting the first teaser post for the series. The poster featured a silhouette of Ravan with the tagline: "What does 15 crores buy you? Find out on Bharat+."

As he hit "Post," Suraj felt a surge of determination. He knew the road ahead would be challenging, but he also believed in the power of storytelling. Raw's Rampage wasn't just another series—it was the beginning of something much bigger, a universe that would redefine Bharat's entertainment landscape.

And for now, all he needed was for people to press play.

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Author note:-

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