Bollywood And Reviews: Al Jazeera Exclusive With Rate Cards For Publications, Critics, Influencers (Image generated by Grok)

Bollywood has long been accused of manipulating public perception through paid reviews. An Al Jazeera investigation has now revealed rate cards detailing how media houses, critics, and influencers are financially incentivised to promote films, often at the expense of genuine critique.

The report quotes an instance from October 2024, in which Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions was struggling. With a series of box office failures and financial losses, the studio was desperate for a hit. Their latest project, Jigra, starring Alia Bhatt, was set to release amid concerns over its commercial viability. To manufacture hype, Dharma turned to paid promotions, with influencers flooding social media with pre-drafted praise. The film’s trailer was aggressively marketed as having 40 million views within 24 hours, despite doubts about its actual reach, reports Al Jazeera.

However, Johar shocked the industry by announcing that Dharma would no longer hold pre-release screenings for critics. This was widely interpreted as a refusal to pay for favourable reviews, a practice that reportedly dominates Bollywood. A Yash Raj Films (YRF) executive told Al Jazeera that 70-80 percent of film reviews are bought.

Al Jazeera has also released rate cards that outline the costs of such paid promotions. Social media influencers charge hefty sums for positive coverage, with Viral Bhayani demanding ₹33K for two posts and Instant Bollywood asking for ₹80K. Trade analysts, too, have fixed prices for favourable reviews, with Taran Adarsh charging ₹75K per post and Bollywood Hungama demanding ₹125K for an article. More established platforms, such as the Times of India and Economic Times, charge up to ₹300K for positive coverage, shows a rate card posted by Al Jazeera.

Rate cards of influencers, critics and publishers for movie promotion (Source: Al Jazeera)

Marketing firms often offer comprehensive packages that include trailer promotions, box office predictions, and post-release buzz management. Such campaigns can cost anywhere from $57,741 to $577,410. While major media houses typically avoid outright paid reviews, they engage in “managing negativity” by softening critical tones in exchange for financial incentives.

Influencers have also resorted to extortion, threatening to trash a film unless paid. A director told Al Jazeera that some influencers demand payments to ensure positive social media trends. This coercion has forced many production houses to comply, fearing backlash. Dharma Productions, however, refused to engage with influencers, leading to negative online reviews for Jigra. Despite continued deals with established media houses, the film underperformed, recovering only a third of its budget.

Among the few influencers who supported Jigra was CricCrazyJohns, a cricket content creator with 600,000 followers. He was reportedly paid ₹30,000 per tweet to post pre-written praise for the film, despite having limited Hindi proficiency. The YRF executive noted that Bollywood had trapped itself in a cycle of artificially manufacturing word-of-mouth, making it difficult to escape the paid review system.

Jigra is a game-changer.

Alia Bhatt shines as the protective sister, delivering a stellar performance.

Vedang’s powerful debut and a strong supporting cast, this emotional rollercoaster is a must-watch. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 #Jigra

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 11, 2024

Historically, Bollywood operated on a star-driven model where films ran in theatres for months. However, since 2001, when the Indian government granted “industry” status to Bollywood, media outlets such as The Times of India began offering paid content through services like MediaNet. As multiplexes emerged and revenue recovery time shrank, production houses increasingly relied on fabricated hype. Today, paid articles cost 20-50 percent more than traditional advertisements, yet are often subtly disguised as independent reviews.

Despite Bollywood’s massive output, the industry has faced severe setbacks in recent years. Big-budget films have flopped, while South Indian cinema has gained popularity. Instead of improving storytelling, Bollywood continues to prioritise artificial hype. As streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon grow more cautious, they now acquire digital rights only after a film’s theatrical release, further diminishing a film’s financial prospects if it fails at the box office.

The role of self-proclaimed trade analysts like Kamaal R Khan (KRK) has further complicated the situation. In 2016, he was accused of accepting 2.5 million rupees to criticise Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay in favour of Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Similarly, in 2024, Vidyut Jamwal alleged that analyst Sumit Kadel sought bribes for favourable reviews, an accusation Kadel denied. The makers of Kalki 2898 AD even served legal notices to Kadel and another analyst, Rohit Jaiswal, for claiming that the film’s box office figures were fake.

Hear what self proclaimed no. 1 critic and trade analyst Kamaal R Khan has to say. https://t.co/wRc7moSlsZ

— Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) September 1, 2016

PR firms play a significant role in this ecosystem. Spice PR, led by Prabhat Choudhary, is known for managing the reputations of Bollywood’s biggest stars. A PR agent told Al Jazeera that the firm routinely asks journalists to inflate ratings, sometimes without the critics knowing that their reviews have been bought. One top actress was told that securing good reviews for her spy thriller would cost one million rupees, but she refused when the names of the paid critics were not disclosed.

Bollywood is not alone in facing such issues. In 2005, Sony Pictures was fined $1.5 million in the US for fabricating a fake reviewer. The Golden Globes also faced criticism in 2022 when its members accepted paid trips before nominating Emily in Paris for awards. Closer to home, Bollywood’s T-Series was accused of manipulating reviews for its 2023 film Adipurush, which was widely panned despite some media outlets calling it a “magnum opus.”

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta criticised the industry’s reliance on PR-driven narratives, calling it a modern-day Truman Show where audiences struggle to distinguish reality from paid promotions, while talking to Al Jazeera. A veteran distributor warned that Bollywood is “digging its own grave” by continuing this trend.

So Adipurush team is paying me ₹9500/tweet to post positive reviews about the movie.

But I am not Bikau like RW, I carry my dharma on my sleeves and I will never compromise for it. pic.twitter.com/2K650im6iF

— Dr Nimo Yadav 2.0 (@niiravmodi) June 17, 2023

In Tamil Nadu, producers sought a court order to ban early social media reviews, arguing that premature negativity hurt major releases like Indian 2 and Kanguva. While the plea was rejected, the court asked the government and platforms such as YouTube to consider regulations.

Karan Johar’s decision to distance Dharma Productions from paid reviews might be a step towards change, but industry insiders remain sceptical. Unless Bollywood focuses on making better films, the reliance on manipulated narratives will continue, further eroding audience trust and damaging the industry’s long-term prospects.