Bollywood has always loved its drama on screen and off it. But now, filmmaker Karan Johar says the real drama is happening behind the scenes, where public relations has started doing most of the talking. And according to him, it’s getting out of hand.
In a recent chat with ‘The Week’, Johar didn’t hold back as he pointed to a growing trend in the film world: the increasing dependence on paid publicity. From actors being praised through sponsored posts to carefully staged “viral” moments, he feels the line between genuine appreciation and paid promotion is slowly disappearing. And that, he says, is making everything feel confusing, even for insiders like him.
PR, paid praise and a changing film culture
The conversation that sparked Johar’s comments came from an audience question about modern film promotions. The question referred to some recent publicity styles in Bollywood, including Janhvi Kapoor wearing a shirt named “Sundari” during promotions of ‘Param Sundari’ alongside Sidharth Malhotra, and Shanaya Kapoor using crocodile-themed gimmicks for her film ‘Tu Ya Main’.
The audience member asked whether such attention-grabbing PR tactics similar to what is sometimes seen in Hollywood would become the new normal in Bollywood.
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Johar’s response was direct. He said the industry has become too dependent on PR machinery and paid visibility. According to him, achievements in cinema should naturally speak for themselves, instead of being amplified through purchased praise.
He pointed out how promotional language itself has changed. “If you want someone to say you are looking gorgeous, you pay for it,” he said during the interaction. He added that even grand claims like being called “the best actor on the planet” are now, in many cases, part of paid publicity packages.
‘Method marketing’ and the blur between real and paid
Johar also touched upon what he called “method marketing,” a term increasingly used to describe immersive or narrative-driven promotional strategies. But he quickly made it clear that the larger concern goes beyond creative marketing ideas.
For him, the real issue is the growing habit of over-promoting personalities instead of focusing on the actual craft of filmmaking and performance. He stressed that marketing and publicity are valid professional tools in the industry, but only when used responsibly and in balance.
Johar was careful not to single out the examples mentioned in the question. Instead, he widened his comment to include the industry as a whole.
The problem, he suggested, is not individual actors or films, but the system that is slowly encouraging everyone to constantly promote themselves through manufactured attention.
When everything comes at a price, even opinions
One of Johar’s strongest concerns was about how difficult it has become to understand what audiences actually feel anymore.
He said the current environment has made it almost impossible to judge genuine public response because “everything is available at a price.” According to him, even opinions and praise can now be influenced through paid channels, which blurs the line between real appreciation and paid narratives.
Johar admitted that this uncertainty is troubling. He said it leaves him confused about what is truly connecting with viewers and what is simply being amplified through marketing budgets.
“In the end, you don’t know if people are liking something or if they are being paid to like it,” he remarked.