Karan Johar Slams Paid PR Culture, Calls for End to Overdrive Marketing
Director Karan Johar has touched on the issue of paid promotion in Bollywood and stated that it should be stopped as it has become difficult to gauge the actual reactions of the audience. In a recent interaction, Karan was asked if actors like Janhvi Kapoor and Shanaya Kapoor have adopted procedural marketing strategies for their films like Param Sundari and Tu Yaa Main. When asked whether this public relations-focused trend could gain traction in the industry, Karan replied:
“I think Bollywood should stop doing PR. That would be much better. They should let their success speak for themselves because unfortunately all PR is done with money now. If you want someone to say you look gorgeous, you just have to pay. If you want to be called the best actor on planet Earth, you have to pay. I think we are in overdrive mode when it comes to PR. Whether they use marketing or not is secondary; they should stop marketing themselves and let their work do the talking.”
Further clarifying his stance, he added: “Promotion and marketing are very important professional categories and should be treated as such. But now everything has a price, and it’s a shame because you can’t really measure what connects with the audience and what doesn’t. Now you look at everything and wonder: ‘Do people really like this, or are they being paid to like it?'”
Karan Johar’s last directorial venture was Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, which released in 2023. The film, starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, was a huge box office hit.
