Mumbai: Filmmaker Karan Johar hit out against the paid PR culture in Bollywood, saying that it makes it harder to understand genuine audience reactions, and hence should be stopped.
At an event organised by The Week, an attendee mentioned actors like Janhvi Kapoor and Shanaya Kapoor using “method marketing” for their films ‘Param Sundari’ and ‘Tu Yaa Main’, respectively.
KJo responded by saying: “I think Bollywood should stop doing PR. It would be much better. They should let their achievements speak for themselves because, unfortunately, all of PR is now ‘paid PR’. So, if you want to say you are looking gorgeous, you just have to pay. If you have to say you are the best actor on planet earth, you have to pay. I think we are in overdrive mode when it comes to PR. So whether they are doing method marketing or not is secondary; they should stop marketing themselves and let their work speak.”
The filmmaker made it clear that his remarks were not aimed at any individual actor, but at the larger trend, noting that paid PR has blurred the line between real and manufactured audience responses.
“I don’t mean the people you are talking about. I mean everyone in general. Publicity and marketing are very important work categories, and they should be treated accordingly. But now, everything is available at a price, and that is something that could be deeply upsetting because then you really can’t gauge what’s connecting and what’s not. Now, you look at everything like, ‘Are people really liking it or have they been paid to like it?’,” he added.
Karan recently backed films like ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ and ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’ under his banner Dharma Productions.
The production house is also set to release several projects this year, including ‘Chand Mera Dil’ starring Lakshya Lalwani and Ananya Panday, ‘Udta Teer’ featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan, and ‘Naagzilla’ led by Kartik Aaryan.
As a director, Karan’s last outing was the 2023 film ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. The film performed well at the box office.
