Promotion is burden on filmmaking: Irrfan Khan

Mumbai: Actor Irrfan Khan, who has impressed cinegoers with his role of an investigating officer in "Talvar" and will next be seen as a suspended police officer in "Jazbaa", believes that the total money spent on a film's promotion and marketing is a "burden".

"This (promotion) is a burden on film making. We should have a limit on it and reduce the amount. Sometimes the ratio is 1:1. I think this is a waste of money," he told IANS. 

"Because of large money spent on promotion the film sometimes suffers, the director who has made a good film, the burden of promotion inevitably comes on the film. And the directors and actors are judged by the business the film is doing," he added. 

Irrfan suggested endorsement should be limited to awareness about a film that is coming. 

"Audience decides what to watch or not on the trailer. Besides that all what we are doing is filling the space. I don't know how many people come to watch a film only because of promotion. Just an awareness and trailer that's enough for a film to get a fair audience," he added.

Earlier "Jazbaa" director Sanjay Gupta had also tweeted that "the smartest ones are not marketing strategists". 

"It is the audience that knows and smells a film just by its trailer. All else is a reminder," he wrote on the micro-blogging site. 

"There is a very long list of films that went to every nook & corner of the country to promote and sank without a trace at the box office," he added.

The film is set to hit the screens on Friday.