Remember the Kabutar Ja Ja song from the film Maine Pyaar Kiya? The first thing you visualise would surely be the white salwar kameez with prints of roses on it.

The one had become a fashion rage. Every young girl in the town wanted to buy the dress and feel like the coy Suman (played by Bhagyashree) with whom Prem (played by Salman Khan) was madly in love with.

And let’s not forget the black cap with ‘Friends’ printed on it. The cap had become a must-have in the wardrobe of all college-going kids. Needless to say, our retailers cashed in lots of moolah with the sale of these.

Let’s take a look at all the things that have their made way to people’s wardrobes after a film screens. And check out the current scenario, wherein film merchandising has become one of the greatest tools of marketing the film.

 Let’s begin with the popular movie Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. The blue saree and the open back blouse in which Madhuri Dixit sang Didi Tera Devar Deewana was an outfit which was then seen at almost every wedding function.

Then there were the set of different kinds of rings donned by Aamir Khan in the film Ghulam. These were available at every store in Colaba Causeway and Fashion Street and in Bandra too. The cowbell shown in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayange had become a popular Valentine time gift back then.

To date cowbells key chains are very popular. The Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ‘I am cool’ chain worn by Shah Rukh Khan and the stuffed bunny rabbits with which Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee danced on the tunes of Piya piya O Piya Piya showcased in every soft toy store across the city. More recently, the short skirts of Salaam Namaste caught every girl’s fancy.

The numerous examples prove that retailers have always made a lot of profit from these products as people love to buy them. Vikramjit Roy, head of publicity, Sony pictures, says, “By buying products that are showcased in the films people establish a connect with the films and the stars and also the characters of the movie.”

He adds, “They can touch and feel the movie and hence these products have always been very popular. I would like to term this concept as shop-o-entertainment.”

Taking this tradition a step ahead movie producers have found themselves doing a whole lot of merchandising to promote their films. The Om Shanti Om T-shirts, Saawariya’s anarkali dresses, Hanuman Returns’ coffee mugs and now Jodhaa Akbar’s jewellery line are dictating the current fashion scene in the country.

Vikramjit Roy says, “I look at film merchandising as a great marketing tool for the films. The T-shirts, clothes, school bags and other products help people to touch and feel the film.” He adds, “It helps producers to expand their customer base and gives customers a variety of new products to offer their clients.”

And the best part of film merchandising is that the film remains with you even after the movie is off the theatres. This helps create a franchise.