The promotional Campaign for the ZEE5 film Saali Mohabbat features lead actor Divyendu delivering a dark, comedic “tutorial” on the best ways to blackmail someone. The ad uses Divyendu’s popular “tough-guy” persona to walk viewers through a three-step process choosing a target, gathering evidence, and attacking with the secrets. By breaking the fourth wall and referencing his previous famous roles, the campaign successfully builds curiosity for the film’s plot, which clearly involves high-stakes secrets and mind games.
1. The Strategy: Playing with Persona
The campaign relies heavily on the audience’s existing relationship with the lead actor to establish the movie’s tone.
Leveraging “Munna Bhai” Nostalgia: The ad begins with a playful warning: “Nobody will write ‘Munna Bhai’ in the comments”. This immediate reference to Divyendu’s most famous character (Mirzapur) creates an instant connection with fans while signaling that this new role might be equally intense or morally complex.
The “How-To” Hook: By framing the promotion as a tutorial on blackmail, the brand uses a “forbidden” topic to grab attention. This dark-comedy approach stands out from traditional, sincere movie trailers and fits the gritty nature of many OTT (Over-The-Top) streaming original films.
Establishing Genre through Tone: Without showing a single clip from the movie, the ad tells the viewer exactly what to expect: a story about secrets, intimidation, and perhaps a bit of dark humor.
2. Creative Execution: Step-by-Step Suspense
The ad uses a simple, direct-to-camera format that makes the viewer feel like an accomplice in the story.
The Three-Step Formula: Divyendu breaks blackmail down into simple, clinical steps: Pick a target, keep a close watch, and then “attack, attack, attack”. This structured storytelling is highly effective for short-form video, keeping the pace fast and the message clear.
The Comedic Subversion: The “attack” isn’t physical, but psychological whispering in the target’s ear that you “know all their secrets”. This subtle approach hints at a clever, dialogue-driven script for the film.
The “What If” Cliffhanger: The ad ends on a question: “But what if the target isn’t scared?”. This creates a logical “hook” for the movie, suggesting that Saali Mohabbat explores what happens when these simple blackmail rules fail, forcing the audience to watch the film to find out the other “methods”.
3. Key Takeaways: Directing Traffic to OTT
This campaign shows how to convert social media views into streaming platform subscribers.
Clear Call to Action: The ad ends with a direct instruction: “Go to Zee5 and watch it right now”. Because the film is already live, the “instant gratification” of the short-form video format leads directly to a potential view on the platform.
Short-Form Efficiency: In under 50 seconds, the ad establishes the lead star, the central theme (blackmail/secrets), the platform (ZEE5), and the title (Saali Mohabbat).
Brand Consistency: The dark, slightly edgy tone of the ad perfectly matches the branding typically seen in ZEE5’s original thriller content, ensuring that the people who click through are exactly the right target audience.
