Official poster of Jigra.
Credit: X/@DharmaMovies
Dharma Productions recently announced that the banner has decided to not organise pre-release press screenings—where a movie is shown to critics a day or two ahead of the official release—for its upcoming films. The tradition of pre-release screenings has been going on in the industry for decades.
Though the Karan Johar-led production house called the move a "necessary step" to maintain a level of excitement in the movie-watching experience, according to a report by The Indian Express, the policy was likely triggered by paid reviews, extortion, and negative stories.
As per the report, paid reviews up to Rs 60,000 per tweet have become a norm in the industry, leading to a major credibility crisis in Bollywood and stopping pre shows can actually help in stopping "review management."
Citing a reputed filmmaker known for helming prestige projects, the publication said that there is a set "rate card" in the industry for buying positive as well as negative reviews from influencers, claiming to be "critics". This rate card ranges from Rs 15,000 per tweet to Rs 60,000. In case of multi-starrer movies, each actor is expected to pay up individually.
These paid reviews are also leading to extortion in case a filmmaker decides not to pay up to the critics, the report said.
“If a producer or film team has decided against opting for paid promotion, media portals, ‘journalists’ and so-called trade influencers run negative campaigns as means of extortion," a top-level image management executive told the publication.
The executive also gave example of Kalki 2898 AD movie which reportedly suffered negative reviews after the filmmakers opted not to pay media, trade and influencers. However, the "negative campaign" was rendered useless after the movie gained significant commercial success owing to word-of-mouth publicity.
Dharma Productions is also reportedly aiming for the word-of-mouth publicity from the first day movie-goers instead of critics' reviews.
The only other production house which follows the same rule of no pre-release screenings is Yash Raj Films.
The move has not sat well with professional film reviewers who believe that the policy will hit genuine film critics and not the ‘paid’ influencers. "Nuanced reviews will be replaced by more reactionary takes, which can impact a film," a film critic told the publication.
Producer Karan Johar and Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta undersigned the official statement shared with the media. The move has started with Jigra, a jail break drama starring Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina.