There is no doubt that Aamir Khan is one of the best marketing geniuses we have in Bollywood. His marketing strategies to promote his films are wonderful enough to be a part of the MBA curriculum. Remember the time when his team made boys in theatre ticket counters have the Ghajini haircut? Now Aamir is all set to be seen on the big screen in this year's biggest Bollywood potboiler, Thugs of Hindostan. While the movie's grand scope doesn't need to special marketing strategies, the makers have come with an innovative way to increase the reach of the film using Aamir Khan's character, Firangi. And yes, also his pet donkey! Thugs of Hindostan Song Manzoor-E-Khuda: Katrina Kaif’s Sizzling Avatar and Kickass Moves Are the Only Saving Grace of This Otherwise Thanda Track – Watch Video.

If you are one of the many users of Google Maps, you now have an option to have Firangi and his donkey to guide you through the traffic. The app will also have Firangi use some of his trademark dialogues in the film like '1-2-3 quick march'. In a media statement, Neha Waikar, who is the Product Manager of Google Maps India, talked about this innovative strategy. She said, “For the first time ever in India, we are truly excited to bring an India-specific experience to everyone’s smartphones. As people gear up for Diwali and to watch Thugs of Hindostan, we wanted to do our bit by making their driving journeys more fun and playful. We wish the movie all the success.” Aamir Khan’s Thugs of Hindostan Fails to Beat This Record of Prabhas’ Baahubali 2.

Manan Mehta, Vice President – Marketing and Merchandising of Yash Raj Films, also gave out a statement that said, “Thugs of Hindostan is a very special film. As YRF, we are on the journey to create many firsts with it. It’s not only the biggest Bollywood movie produced till date but also for the first time ever brings together the two legends of Indian Cinema, Mr Amitabh Bachchan and Mr Aamir Khan. We were aware that no marketing idea that we implement can eclipse this. So we had to think of creating a first-time, unparalleled and unrepeatable marketing idea to promote this film. And in Google Maps we found a perfect partner to do so. Google Maps is now a household name in India and is extensively used to travel around in our daily lives. We had a great time working with the team at Google to make ‘Firangi’ a part of these journeys, We are confident that people will love the experience and of course the movie.”

Seeing how bad the traffic is in Mumbai many a time, we also wonder if we can ditch our cars and use the donkey like Aamir Khan does to reach our destinations. Thugs of Hindostan, also starring Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh, is scheduled to release on November 8.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 01, 2018 01:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).