Hype with a price

Even Bollywood's paid reviews couldn't save 'Jigra'

Jigra's box-office failure and inevitable exposure to trolling unfolded like any public spectacle. However, it seems that the Bollywood thriller's disastrous fate was decided prior to its release, and no amount of string-pulling would have proved helpful. While content creators lauded the film weeks before its release, Dharma Productions mogul Karan Johar issued an unexpected statement shortly after its release, announcing that the company was "to forgo pre-release screenings for our upcoming films" thereafter.

While Johar's move may be brushed off as an isolated incident, Al Jazeera reported that the odds haven't been in Dharma's favour for some time now. The publication claimed that putting an end to pre-release screenings for critics was Johar's way of admitting that he was no longer going to pay for positive reviews - an underhanded practice that Bollywood has long been following.

"It is an open secret in the film industry that 70-80 per cent of the reviews are paid reviews," a senior Yash Raj Films (YRF) executive told Al Jazeera. "Paid reviews are as much a part of this business as any other."

Other than this anonymous individual, many in a pool of 20 film professionals, critics, PR executives, and social media reviewers agreed that this is the norm in the world's second-oldest film industry.

However, these experts also stated that reviews can't transform a film from a flop to a hit, though a positive or negative review can impact a film's business by 10-15 per cent in the first week. Producers and actors hence employ this word-of-mouth technique to influence the numbers and carry the film in its first week.

The price for buzz

"There's a menu card, literally. You pick what you want, and there's a rate for everything," the YRF executive revealed, adding that the Jawan production house was probably the only one to not resort to this method.

Sent to producers and filmmakers by the PR and marketing firms handling film publicity, the "rate cards" revealed the fees charged by some of India's top news organisations, entertainment portals, trade analysts, social media reviewers, and content creators. The card also included a list of services and package deals offered by the reviewers at certain price rates.

From live-tweeting from the theatre to hyping up a film's pre-release content, producers work with the reviewers to generate buzz around the upcoming project, aiming to make it a trend on social media. Deals with established media organisations can be booked in advance, with price rates for packages ranging between INR5 million and INR50 million, as per Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, influencers are brought onboard around the time of film previews. These content creators get paid based on how much work they must put in: the lower the excitement about the film, the higher the price.

Nurturing extortion

Recently, however, these business tactics have been succumbing to extortion with influencers threatening bad word-of-mouth over failed negotiations. "More and more people spring up every week. And now it's got to a point that if you don't give money to some of these guys, they will start slamming your film. It's complete extortion," a film director said.

Dharma, whose net profits plummeted from $1.2 million in fiscal year 2023 to $68,135 a year later as Al Jazeera reported, faced a similar situation with Jigra, ringing up influencers like CricCrazyJohns, despite them not being associated with Bollywood.

The producers went as far as bulk-buying theatre tickets to suggest that the film was attracting numbers. "But the total business was so small that it didn't really make a difference," said veteran film distributor Raj Bansal.

"This is karma calling," said producer and trade analyst Girish Johar. "These very production houses nurtured, pampered and patronised these so-called film critics – these people with no relevance, no experience."

Tracking the timeline

When film magazines ruled the entertainment coverage scene up to the 1980s, the success of Bollywood films was measured in silver and golden jubilees, or 25 weeks and 50 weeks. Granted, surreptitious meetings still took place, though only with the intent to bump up media coverage through journalists.

As the aughts swung by, however, the Indian film landscape earned its industry status from the government, and new rules began to take form. Well-established daily newspapers began to sell stories dedicated to film, fashion, and lifestyle. Paid articles entered the mix, which now generally cost 20 to 50 per cent more than what the publication would charge for an advertisement.

"It became very organised," recalled an anonymous film publicist. "In several newspapers, magazines and their online digital avatars, you could not get [any write-up related to a movie] 10 to 20 days before and after a film's release [unless you paid for it]."

Fast forward to 2024, about 180 Bollywood films arrived on the silver screen in a train of hype. Only four stood out against the tide. "If Stree 2, Munjya, Shaitan, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 had not worked, 2024 would have been a year of mourning," said film exhibitor and distributor Sanjay Mehta.

However, now that Dharma has announced a departure from pre-release events, professionals believe that there is hope for the future, should the production house stick to its word.

"Ending this nexus is not going to be easy unless producers and actors follow Dharma's lead and are consistent," a senior film critic said. "And course correction also means making better films that producers are confident of."