The Bollywood industry is facing a severe crisis, not just in terms of box office failures but also due to its deep-rooted culture of paid reviews. Al Jazeera’s recent investigation has shed light on the murky system where fake praise, extortion, and rate cards dictate film publicity, ultimately harming the industry itself.
One of the biggest recent examples is Jigra (2024), a high-budget thriller from Dharma Productions, starring Alia Bhatt. The film flopped despite aggressive marketing efforts, exposing how artificial hype does not translate to box office success. Dharma Productions, struggling financially, even decided to stop paying influencers for positive reviews, a move that led to backlash from content creators who thrive on such arrangements.
Al Jazeera’s report, based on insights from over 20 film professionals, PR executives, and critics, confirms that 70-80% of reviews in Bollywood are paid. The industry operates on structured rate cards where media outlets, entertainment portals, and influencers charge substantial fees for positive coverage. Payments can range from live tweeting and high star ratings to long-term promotional campaigns ensuring a film trends on social media.
While traditional media houses maintain subtle bias through “managed negativity,” many social media influencers openly demand cash payments. If filmmakers refuse, their films risk being slammed with negative reviews, making it a system of extortion rather than promotion. Despite this, reviews have limited power in turning a bad film into a hit, with experts estimating only a 10-15% impact in the first week.
This paid review culture has been fueled by Bollywood’s desperate attempt to maintain dominance, especially as big-budget films continue to fail. With Southern Indian cinema outperforming Bollywood in recent years, the industry is investing more in manufactured hype rather than quality content. The problem escalated in the early 2000s when major publications like The Times of India institutionalized paid news through initiatives like MediaNet, making promotional articles a standard practice.
The landscape changed further in 2024 when streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon stopped buying films pre-release, making theatrical success even more crucial. As a result, Bollywood’s reliance on artificial buzz has only increased, even though it has repeatedly failed to salvage box office disasters.
The fallout from Jigra’s failure was significant. Karan Johar ultimately sold a 50% stake in Dharma Productions to billionaire Adar Poonawalla for $116 million. Several other production houses are also looking for investors to stay afloat. However, as long as Bollywood prioritizes perception over substance, the industry risks becoming a victim of its own manipulative strategies.
Al Jazeera’s investigation highlights a crucial reality: the ecosystem of paid reviews is not just misleading audiences but also damaging the credibility of Bollywood itself. Until the industry shifts focus to making better films rather than buying positive coverage, its struggles will only deepen. (based on Al Jazeera’s report)
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