As much as he supports Bollywood, filmmaker Karan Johar is also one of its biggest critics, never holding back when calling out the industry’s hypocrisy and issues. Recently, Karan criticized Bollywood’s apparent overuse of public relations.
Karan Johar Calls Out Bollywood’s PR Addiction
He pointed out that every compliment now seems to come with a price, which has blurred the line between genuine praise and manufactured flattery.
In a recent conversation with The Week, Karan asked about the recent promotional tactics in Bollywood. An audience member referenced Janhvi Kapoor wearing shirts with “Sundari” on them for Param Sundari (2025) and Shanaya Kapoor using “crocodile gimmicks” for TuYaa Main (2026). The audience member wondered if Bollywood was following Hollywood’s lead and if such publicity strategies would become more common in the future.
Urge bollywood to stop PR
Karan Johar responded that Hindi cinema should cut back on its PR, as it has become excessive. “I think Bollywood should stop doing PR. It would be better this way. They should let their achievements speak for themselves because, unfortunately, all of the PR is now paid PR. If you want someone to say, ‘You are looking gorgeous,’ you just have to pay. If you want someone to say you are the best actor on Earth, you have to pay,” he said.
He went on to explain that this situation makes it hard for people, including himself, to tell the difference between sincere and paid compliments. “I think we are in overdrive mode when it comes to PR.
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