Buzz is, Elli disregarded the wish of Mickey Virus' producers, leading man and director to coop herself up in Bigg Boss just when she was needed the most.
However Mickey Virus director Saurabh Chopra sets the record straight. `No, in fact it was our decision to let her go in. It was a marketing strategy.
We didn't have any stars in Mickey Virus. Manish Paul was known through his work on television. But Elli was completely unknown. So how could we get attention?Our budget for publicity and promotion was negligible. `
Saurabh says the team decided to let her be noticed in Bigg Boss. `It's a huge platform. And it has Mr Salman Khan at its helm. Obviously we got a ready made captive audience to notice our heroine who would otherwise have been ignored. `
One wondered if Salman's constant attention to Elli is also a part of the marketing strategy. But Gaurav firmly eschews the suggestion. `Not at all! If you know Elli at all you'd know she spreads positivity and warm vibes very naturally. It's not an act. And Mr Salman Khan has seen that.
I remember when we decided to give Bigg Boss a shot for Elli, she started watching old episodes of Bigg Boss to understand the concept. Elli was horrified and amused at the lengths contestants went to for attention. She was very sure she wouldn't behave in a loud obnoxious manner if she went in. And she's stuck to that. All of us from the Mickey Virus team are very proud of Elli. `
Elli's parents are currently in Mumbai waiting for their daughter to come out of Bigg Boss.
Says Saurabh, `Elli's parents are Swedish. But she was born in Greece. For some strange reason she was fixated on Bollywood from childhood. I wanted to cast a known name. But no established heroine wanted to do such a brief role. So we hunted for an unknown name. `
Now Saurabh Chopra wants to make a superhero comedy entitled Raftar Singh Superfast. `We are not equipped to do the super-hero film seriously. So we might as well give it a comic twist. `
