Is there a nude in the balcony?: Anupama Chopra on misleading publicity campaigns
If the Hindi film industry does not stop misusing its publicity machine, it risks not knowing when the emperor has no clothes, Chopra says.
Last week, I got an email from a publicist asking that I review a marquee show. It was a standard request, except for the line that said: “Kindly inform me about… the charges… We are looking at mainly a positive review.”
Two years ago, I received a more blatant offer, via text. “Wanted to check if you are open to doing paid movie reviews. If yes, request you to please let me know how we can go about it,” that publicist said.
Clearly, entertainment journalism and the sizeable publicity machinery around showbiz needs overhauling and introspection. As a fraternity, we’ve been on a slippery slope since the avalanche of advertorial material first hit, about two decades ago. The addition of digital platforms muddied the waters further. Over the past decade, entertainment journalists have also had to contend with influencer culture, social media, the immense power of paparazzi handles, and success being assessed in terms of hits and views rather than simple accuracy or insight.
There is no way to tell, any more, whether a post on X or Instagram raving about a new release is organic or was paid for.
My fear is that, in the long run, this will stunt storytelling and creativity. Because it is becoming more and more difficult for quality to stand out. Mediocre projects with large marketing budgets can simply buy validation. Production houses often opt to roll out publicity campaigns with the help of influencers (whom they pay), because questions can be strictly monitored; the optics are controlled and sanitised.
It’s a problem. As the villain Syndrome put it in The Incredibles: “When I’m old and I’ve had my fun, I’ll sell my inventions so that everyone can be superheroes. Everyone can be super. And when everyone’s super, no one will be.”
The head of a leading digital-marketing agency, who asked not to be named, didn’t mince words. Marketing budgets for films now range from ₹12 crore to ₹25 crore, he said. This includes multi-city tours, fan-focused events, and “doctoring the optics”. There is nothing that’s not up for sale. For a fee, box-office numbers reported for opening day will be inflated too.
Everyone is playing the perception game, with the aim of securing an OTT deal or, if you already have one, to avoid re-negotiating with the streaming platform. This bubble will burst within the next two years, the agency lead said. “Because the Hindi film industry is headed towards a credibility crisis.”
My hope is that in 2024, more industry leaders will acknowledge and act on this. A thriving entertainment business needs robust criticism and incisive journalism focused on trends, triumphs and failures, and on assessing what is worthy. This isn’t some lofty, moral ambition. It is simply good business practice to have people in the room who can say that the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes, ideally before he steps out onto the balcony.
