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Shah Rukh Khan's Zero: Now On Alexa, Whatsapp, And Beyond

This article is more than 5 years old.

Red Chillies Entertainment

Fans the world over know who Shah Rukh Khan is and now that the Indian superstar is all set to for the Christmas release of his next film, Aanand L Rai’s Zero, fans will now get to know Bauua Singh, the character Khan plays in the film, using Amazon Alexa! Red Chillies Entertainment, the producers of Zero, is the first ever Indian production company that has developed an interactive Alexa skill as a part of their promotional activities for Zero.

The collaboration, operational only in India, will provide fans access to Bauua Singh’s voice on their Amazon Echo smart speakers as well as other Alexa built-in devices such as Bose headphones. The character is all set to regale followers with jokes, anecdotes and poetry. "As voice is on its way to becoming the next touch and text, this innovative association with Amazon Alexa gives the fans a chance to listen to Bauua’s quirky, witty and distinctive persona that we wanted to portray through the association," said Binda Dey, Marketing Head of Red Chillies Entertainment. Shah Rukh Khan also took to Twitter to announce the partnership with Alexa, by commenting on the many flirtatious ways of Bauua.

Zero is one of the most anticipated movies of 2018 and I'm glad to see that the creators have chosen Alexa to help fans engage with Bauua,” said Dilip R.S., Country Manager for Alexa Skills, Amazon India. The Alexa Skills Kit has enabled brands to create various consumer engagement experiences on a platform like Alexa, that is both personal and yet far-reaching and diverse. Using of voice interface, although new, is all set to be an effective brand engagement strategy in the near future and it indeed exceptionally well timed and strategical for Zero to jump in on this before any other brand. The film’s unique engagements with social media does not, however, end with #BauuaOnAlexa; Zero is also the first Bollywood film to tie up with the instant messaging app, Whatsapp to create special stickers and GIFs featuring the film’s characters. The film has also released special GIFs that can be used across all social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Red Chillies Entertainment has also started the #BauuaOnAlexaContest on social media which fans can use to post recordings of them trying to emulate Bauua’s style, and then go on to win film merchandise and meet the stars of the film.

The trailer for the film famously garnered more than 54 million views within a day of its release on November 2, 2018. To top that buzz, the producers are coming up with innovative marketing strategies that aim to tap and engage viewers on literally every social media channel available to them.

The film, about the vertically challenged Bauua Singh’s quest to find true love, is slated to release worldwide on December 21.