Mumbai, December 4, 2025 — Actress Yami Gautam has launched a scathing attack on what she describes as an “extortion-like” and “dangerous culture” of paid hype and manufactured negativity in Bollywood, making a strong appeal for the film industry to stand united against the practice. Gautam, whose husband Aditya Dhar directed the upcoming spy thriller Dhurandhar, took to social media on Thursday, just a day before the film’s release, to express her long-held concerns.
‘Nothing but Kind of Extortion’
The actress stated that a “so-called trend” exists where money is paid under the guise of marketing to ensure positive “hype” for a film. Conversely, she alleged that those who refuse to participate are met with continuous negative coverage, even before their film hits the screens.
In a detailed social Media note, Gautam wrote:
“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.” She termed the arrangement a “plague” that is accessible to anyone to either “hype” a film or “spread negativity against another actor/a film,” warning that this “monster of a ‘trend’ is eventually going to bite everyone.”
Defending ‘Dhurandhar’ and Aditya Dhar
The timing of her statement suggests that Dhar’s ambitious film, Dhurandhar, which stars Ranveer Singh and others, may have been facing such manufactured negativity. The film is already embroiled in a separate legal controversy, with the family of Major Mohit Sharma approaching the Delhi High Court over the alleged unauthorized exploitation of the martyr’s life.
Defending her husband’s work, Gautam stressed his honesty and dedication.
“I say this as a wife of an extremely honest man who has given everything to this film with his undying hard work, vision & grit… to create something that I know India shall be proud of,” she wrote.
A Call for Unity
The actress concluded her powerful statement by urging producers, directors, and actors to come together and put an end to this concerning practice, emphasizing the need to protect the creative environment of Indian cinema. “We need to protect our industry environment… No one can dare do such things because the industry stands united on lot of fronts,” she appealed, adding, “Let’s not kill the joy of filmmaking & presenting it to the world & letting the audience decide what they feel.”
Dhurandhar is set for release on December 5, 2025.
