'Feels like extortion': Yami Gautam calls out Bollywood's PAID HYPE culture, Hrithik Roshan REACTS

The conversation around ethical practices in Indian cinema has intensified in recent years as filmmakers and actors navigate an environment shaped by aggressive marketing, online chatter and rising digital influence. Audiences often see films surrounded by buzz even before release, but the mechanisms behind that buzz remain a point of growing debate. Against this backdrop, Yami Gautam has spoken out, bringing attention to a matter she believes could deeply affect the future of the industry.

Taking to her X handle, Yami wrote, 'There is something iv been wanting to express since really long, I feel today is that day and I must.” She then addressed what she calls a troubling trend. In her own words, '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. 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.' (sic)

Yami warned that normalising this practice is dangerous. She wrote, '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.' She pointed out that many uncomfortable truths about the definition of success over the past five years could come to light, adding, 'If truth is exposed about a million things under the garb of who and what ‘success’ is over the past 5 years esp, unfortunately it’s not going to be a pretty picture for many.'

She contrasted the situation with the unity seen in South Indian film industries, stating, 'In South no one can dare do such things because the industry stands united on lot of fronts.' Yami then urged collective action, writing, '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.'

In the final part of her note, she described why the issue matters to her personally. She wrote, '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.' She also spoke as a member of the fraternity who wants to see the industry thrive, saying, '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.'

She concluded with a plea to preserve the purity of filmmaking: 'Lets not kill the joy of film making and presenting it to the world and letting the audience decide what they feel. We need to protect our industry environment.'

Agreeing to Yami, Hrithik Roshan too voiced his opinions and stood by her. He wrote, '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 ?'

Yami’s statement has opened up renewed discussions about ethical marketing, digital manipulation and the influence certain networks hold over public perception. Her words reflect a sentiment shared by many creators who fear that unchecked promotion and paid negativity could distort filmmaking itself. By choosing to speak publicly, she has added an important voice to an evolving dialogue on the future of Indian cinema.