Viveat Susan Pinto
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Now, Batman hollers Mirindaaaaaaa!

Batman Begins: In India, Mirinda and Mattel Toys have tied up with the film, while Pepsi, Dell, Nintendo have aligned with the movie at the worldwide level

After Anakin Skywalker, its the turn of Bruce Wayne to mesmerise viewers.

With only a few hours to go before June 17 – that's the day when the movie 'Batman Begins' releases worldwide – the excitement among Batman fans is predictably huge

To cash on this excitement, consumer brands too have responded well with the likes of Pepsi, Dell Computers and Nintendo among others tying up with the movie internationally. In India, brands – Mirinda from Pepsi and Mattel Toys – will ride on the movie.

Pepsi has launched a special limited edition variant of Mirinda called ‘Batman Blast Berry Fusion’, a drink from grapes and black currant, which means that the colour is dark purple and not the traditional orange.

Promotions for this variant have begun on TV as well as offline at multiplexes such as Fame, PVR and Fun Republic. Shopping malls such as Big Bazaar and retail outlets such as KFC and Pizza Hut are also part of the exercise.

Mattel Toys, meanwhile, has come up with special 'Batman Begins' merchandise/toys for kids.

The premiere of the movie, incidentally, took place in Mumbai on Wednesday (June 15), while screenings across Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and Bangalore will happen on Thursday.

Warner Brothers has been promoting the film on TV with spots on channels such as MTV, apart from ads in the entertainment pages of dailies. Outdoors have been used strategically in select metros such as Chennai, where a huge billboard of Batman has been put up.

Apart from English, the movie has been dubbed in Hindi as well, and according to market sources, 150-odd prints of the film will be released.

This is the fifth time when DC Comics’ Dark Knight of Gotham City aka Batman has been transposed to the big screen.

The last endeavour – ‘Batman and Robin’ – released way back in 1997 is best remembered as an action-packed potboiler with a wasted star cast including the likes of George Clooney (as Batman), Arnold Schwarzenegger (Mr. Freeze) and Uma Thurman (Poison Ivy).

This time, director Christopher Nolan captures the Batman legend – basically how playboy Bruce Wayne becomes the Caped Crusader – in a two-and-a-half gritty venture.

Will Christian Bale succeed where George Clooney failed? Here's hoping, he does. © 2005 agencyfaqs!

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