Karan Johar blames Bollywood's downfall on paid PR and herd mentality

The popularity of south Indian films in the Hindi belt has raised doubts about Bollywood's supremacy over India's film industries. With a few exceptions, Hindi films have historically out-earned films in other languages. However, south Indian films such as Pushpa: The Rise (2021), RRR (2022), KGF: Chapter 2 (2022), and Vikram (2022) have done well at the box office since late 2021, Hindi films have mostly flopped. In a recent interview, director Karan Johar revealed why Bollywood is falling behind.

Karan Johar linked it to factors such as paid publicity and herd mentality in Hindi cinema. He stated, “I think we are victims of everything we should be running away from, whether it’s paid PR or media blitz, projections, perceptions, all of that. That is plaguing. Also, I think we don’t have the conviction. We are victims of herd mentality.”

According to Johar, filmmakers in the south have confidence in their work, which Hindi filmmakers today lack. He continued, “Tamil cinema and Malayalam cinema have always been story-heavy. They have also been commercial and aesthetic. What happened with Kannada cinema and now Kannada cinema with KGF is that they have a lot of conviction. They don’t listen to other things and follow that conviction. They’re not seeking validation, acceptance, or approval. They are so confident in their skin and convinced with what they are doing. That’s what we all lack.”

Meanwhile, Karan Johar is currently directing Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. The film will be released in February 2023.