"a plague that is going to affect the future of our industry"
Yami Gautam issued a strong appeal to the Hindi film industry, urging it to end what she described as an entrenched culture of paid “hype” and manufactured negativity around films and actors.
In a lengthy note on X, the actress criticised what she alleged were paid campaigns designed to shape public perception before a film’s release.
She suggested that her husband Aditya Dhar’s upcoming film Dhurandhar was becoming a victim of this culture and hinted at its role in the recent backlash surrounding the project.
She wrote: “There is something I’ve been wanting to express since really long, I feel today is that day and I must.
“This so-called trend of giving money, in the disguise of marketing a film, to ensure good ‘hype’ for a film is created or else ‘they’ will continuously write negative things (even before the film is released), until you pay ‘them’ money feels nothing but kind of extortion.”
Yami said the normalisation of both artificial hype and targeted negativity was damaging the future of Indian cinema and eroding the integrity of storytelling:
“Just because this arrangement is accessible to anyone – whether to ‘hype’ a film or spread negativity against another actor/a film – is a plague that is going to affect the future of our industry in a big way.
“Unfortunately, if anyone feels it’s harmless and let’s do it because it’s the new ‘normal’, is mistaken. This monster of a ‘trend’ is eventually going to bite everyone.”
Yami also questioned Bollywood’s current definition of success:
“If truth is exposed about a million things under the garb of who and what ‘success’ is over the past 5 years especially, unfortunately it’s not going to be a pretty picture for many.”
Referencing South Indian cinema, she said: “In South, no one can dare do such things because the industry stands united on lot of fronts.
“I urge our esteemed producers, directors and actors to come together in order to arrest this termite of a culture at this stage itself and discourage it.”
There is something iv been wanting to express since really long, I feel today is that day & I must .
This so called trend of giving money, in the disguise of marketing a film, to ensure good ‘hype’ for a film is created or else ‘they’ will continuously write negative things…— Yami Gautam Dhar (@yamigautam) December 4, 2025
Discussing her husband’s work on Dhurandhar, she stated:
“I say this as a wife of an extremely honest man who has given everything to this film with his undying hard work, vision and grit along with his team to create something that I know India shall be proud of.
“I say this as a deeply concerned member of the fraternity who, like many other industry professionals, wishes to see Indian cinema blossom with its best potential and not the other way around.
“Let’s not kill the joy of filmmaking and presenting it to the world and letting the audience decide what they feel.”
“We need to protect our industry environment.”
Hrithik Roshan, who starred with Yami Gautam in Kaabil, supported her comments and raised concerns about the impact of paid narratives on journalistic freedom and creative feedback.
He wrote: “More than anything, the golden thing that gets lost and leaves them and all of us impoverished is the journalist’s true voice, a chance for them to inform all the creative forces behind a movie what they felt, thought, what they applaud and criticise.
“Only true opinions have the potential where feedback helps us evolve. Their own right to freedom gets unknowingly usurped and so does our chance of growth.
“Without freedom of expression, without the truth helping us evolve, what job satisfaction can they or any of us hope for?”
Yami Gautam’s comments come a day before Dhurandhar releases on December 5.
Some social media users have called for a boycott of the film following Ranveer Singh’s appearance at the closing ceremony of IFFI Goa 2025.
During the event, Ranveer attempted to praise Rishab Shetty’s performance in Kantara Chapter 2 by mimicking the Daiva act and referring to the Chamundi Daiva as a “female ghost”.
The remark upset many viewers, particularly online. Although Singh later apologised on social media, concerns remain that the backlash could affect the film’s box office performance.
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