(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Bollywood actress Yami Gautam has called out what she describes as the growing culture of "extortion-like" hype and paid negativity, and has also urged her colleagues in the film industry to end the practice of creating hype through marketing tools.

In a detailed note on Instagram, the actress expressed her concern about the growing practice of pressuring filmmakers to buy manufactured publicity. Gautam, who referenced the upcoming Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar, opened up about how the project, directed by her husband Aditya Dhar, is experiencing attempts at targeted "negativity" even before its release.

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In her note, she wrote, "There is something I've been wanting to express for a long time, and I feel today is that day & I must. This so-called trend of giving money, under the guise of marketing a film, to ensure good 'hype' is created for a film, or else 'they' will continuously write negative things (even before the film is released), until you pay 'them' money, feels nothing but a kind of extortion. Just because this arrangement is accessible to anyone, whether to 'hype' a film or spread negativity against another actor or a film, is a plague that is going to affect the future of our industry in a big way."

The actor went on to point out that in the South Indian film industry, such practices "cannot be dared" because the industry stands united. Urging collective action, Gautam appealed to filmmakers and artists to "come together" to stop what she called a "termite of a culture" before it spreads further.

"In the South, no one can dare do such things because the industry stands united on a 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," she added.

Her 'Kaabil' co-star Hrithik Roshan commented in support, lamenting the fact that the voice of sincere critics and journalists gets lost in the noise.

He said on X, "More than anything, the golden thing that gets lost and leaves them and all of us impoverished is the journalists 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?"

Directed and written by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar is a spy-action thriller featuring Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal in lead roles. It is produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios. Dhurandhar is scheduled for theatrical release on December 5, 2025.

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