Even as the anticipation for the much awaited release Fanaa was building up, an SMS was doing the rounds. It read: Boy falls in love with blind girl. But boy is a terrorist and he dies in the end. That’s the story of Fanaa. Now you can save Rs 100, because you don’t have to see the film. Later, the producers of the film had to confirm that Aamir does die in the end and also had their spin doctors release stories on how Aamir’s death usually means a hit (remember QSQT?). But the fun-spoilers didn’t want to give up, and soon another SMS was circulated. This one read: Girl is not blind. She is a spy hired to keep an eye on the boy’s terrorist group. Both fall in love, but die in the end. Shhhh.. it’s the secret of Fanaa. Whether it’s true on not, we’ll know in a few days, but avid films buffs feel that these SMSs kill the suspense. “I was really looking forward to seeing the film. But now that I know that Aamir is going to die, I feel there’s nothing to look forward to. I’ll watch the film waiting only for that scene,” says Mudita Shankar, an 18 year old college student. Another hoax email that had many fooled was the so called detailed plot of Karan Johar’s multistarrer Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. The mail details a love story about a girl who is engaged to a guy against the wishes of her parents, but later has an accident. She breaks up with him, but he remains faithful, and when you come to the end of the painfully long story, it says, “ Wasn't it a nice story? It’s the story of Shahrukh’s next movie Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.” While most Shah Rukh fans know that it’s not true, (the actual plot is quite different and also available online), these hoaxes put people off the film. But where do they originate? Manoj Keshavan, a Mumbai based trade analyst says that most of these are just prank mails and SMSs sent by kids. “They are not meant to be taken seriously. It’s just part of the excitement of waiting for a big budget film,” he adds. However, a senior journalist who did not want to be named said, “Often, the story is leaked by a rival production house that does not want the film to succeed.” He said that the decision to release Fanaa merchandise by Yash Raj films is part of the damage control exercise after the plot leaked to the media. The merchandise includes a cup-saucer set — the cup has a mirror finish which shows the reflection of Fanaa, and a mirchi pendant which Aamir Khan is seen sporting in the film. However, this trend is not new. Sometime back the plot of Kaal, another multi-starrer from Karan Johar was circulated on SMS. The horror-suspense whodunit lost its charm when an SMS went around announcing Ajay Devgan was the killer. In Kollywood, the closely guarded plot of the film Sivaji too was leaked via email. Looks like there are no secrets in this fast paced world. Courtesy: Deccan
Film plots circulate on SMS, emails; kill suspense
