Karan Johar says paid PR in Bollywood needs to stop: 'We are in overdrive mode'

Karan Johar minced no words as he called out the growing practice of paid publicity in the Hindi film industry at an event recently. Johar, while speaking at an event, said that the practice needs to stop as it makes it difficult to understand real audiences’ reactions.

Johar spoke at an event organised by The Week recently, where he stressed that aggressive publicity campaigns often blur the line between genuine public response and manufactured hype.

‘Bollywood should stop doing PR’

During the discussion, an audience member referred to actors such as Janhvi Kapoor and Shanaya Kapoor using what she described as "method marketing" to promote their recent films, Param Sundari and Tu Yaa Main. She asked the filmmaker whether such PR strategies were likely to become more common in Bollywood.

In response, the director said, "I think Bollywood should stop doing PR. It would be much better. They should let their achievements speak for themselves because, unfortunately, all PR is now 'paid PR'. So, if you want to say you are looking gorgeous, you just have to pay. If you want to say you are the best actor on the planet, 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 was quick to clarify that he was not singling out any actor and admitted that he, too, at some point, had resorted to paid PR. Johar added that paid PR has made it increasingly difficult to measure organic audience feedback on films.

"I don't mean the people you are talking about. I mean, everyone in general. Publicity and marketing are very important work categories and should be treated accordingly. But now, everything is available at a price, and that is something that can be deeply upsetting, because then you really can't gauge what is connecting and what is not. Now, you look at everything and ask, ‘Are people really liking it, or have they been paid to like it?’" Karan added.

On the work front, the filmmaker’s new production Chand Mera Dil, featuring Ananya Panday and Lakshya in up for release on May 22, 2006. The film has been directed by Vivek Soni and produced by Dharma Productions.