Mumbai: Salman Khan recently addressed the issue of online trolling and alleged paid negative PR in Bollywood during a ‘Bigg Boss 20’ Weekend Ka Vaar episode.
The actor criticised those who target stars when their films underperform at the box office.
However, singer and Euphoria frontman Palash Sen has now weighed in on the debate, alleging in an interview with Screen that Salman himself was “part of the problem.”
Palash cited an instance where a movie trailer featuring a leading actress received an overwhelming number of dislikes compared to likes, eventually leading YouTube to disable the dislike feature.
He pointed out that it was hard to tell whether the backlash reflected viewers’ genuine opinions or was driven by paid negative PR.
Reacting to Salman Khan’s remarks on paid negative PR in Bollywood, Palash said, “He’s a part of starting this. Let’s not forget that. Problems never arise from the bottom of the hierarchy; it starts from the top. I am not pointing a finger at anyone, but if you live by the sword, you are also going to get killed by the sword. Everybody in the film industry who has maintained their position for many, many years, obviously has played with the PR guys; we all know it.”
He added, “One day, you can start saying things and sound like a saint. Though it was very, very brave of him to say what he did. I am telling you he was part of the problem. We all know it. Even the fact that he did this on this show (Bigg Boss 20)…100 per cent, we don’t know whether this was scripted or it was really organic. It has become so difficult for all of us to figure out”
During a ‘Bigg Boss 20’ Weekend Ka Vaar episode, Salman condemned online trolling and came to Katrina Kaif’s defence after she faced criticism over her post-pregnancy weight gain.
He also addressed the alleged practice of paid negative PR in Bollywood, calling out sections of the film industry and media over campaigns targeting fellow actors.
Salman said, “I know who trolls me. We have so many fan clubs that we know who does what. We just choose not to react. They are making money by putting you down, and there might be heroes or producers who would encourage this by paying some money. Then people talk about corruption. For money, they give four or five stars to films. That is also a huge corruption. So are you in any position to talk about ethics or morals?”
Palash Sen, a trained doctor, founded Euphoria in 1998, establishing the band as a prominent name in India’s independent music scene.
Known for hits such as Dhoom Pichuck Dhoom and Maaeri, Sen also acted in films, including Filhaal (2002).
In August 2026, he and the band celebrated nearly three decades in music with the release of their album Dhoomsday.
