Yami Gautam calls out paid film promotions in Bollywood, Hrithik Roshan supports her

Actor Yami Gautam has slammed the practice of creating paid hype to promote movies in Bollywood ahead of the release of husband Aditya Dhar’s “Dhurandhar”, saying the trend is going to affect the future of the industry in a big way.

The 37-year-old actor shared a note on her X handle on Thursday to criticise the negative publicity around the film, which releases in theatres on Friday.

“There is something I’ve been wanting to express since really long. I feel today is that day and I must. This so-called trend of giving money, in the disguise of marketing a film, to ensure good ‘hype’ for a film is created, or else ‘they’ will continuously write negative things (even before the film is released), until you pay ‘them’ money feels nothing but kind of extortion.

“Just because this arrangement is accessible to anyone, whether to ‘hype’ a film or spread negativity against another actor/a film is a plague that is going to affect the future of our industry in a big way,” she wrote in the post.

Gautam said this trend is going to affect everyone and once the truth of such practice is exposed, it is not going to be a “pretty picture for many”.

Known for films such as “Uri: The Surgical Strike”, “Bala” and “Vicky Donor”, Gautam compared the situation to the South cinema industry and said such “trends” don’t take place there as artists stay united but something similar needs to be done in Hindi cinema as well.

“I say this as a wife of an extremely honest man who has given everything to this film with his undying hardwork, vision and grit along with his team to create something that I know India shall be proud of. I say this as a deeply concerned member of the fraternity who, like many other industry professionals, wishes to see Indian cinema blossom with its best potential and not the other way around.

“Let’s not kill the joy of filmmaking and presenting it to the world and letting the audience decide what they feel. We need to protect our industry environment,” she said.

Hrithik Roshan, her “Kaabil” co-star supported the actor on X, saying with such practice, the true voice of journalists is lost and also the chance for them to “inform all the creative forces behind a movie what they felt, thought, what they applaud and criticise”.

“Only true opinions have the potential where feedback helps us evolve. Their own right to freedom gets unknowingly usurped and so does our chance of growth. Without freedom of expression, without the truth helping us evolve, what job satisfaction can they or any of us hope for.”

“Dhurandhar” features Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi.