Just a day before the release of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, his wife and actress Yami Gautam posted a strongly worded note on social media, slamming the trend of ‘giving money’ in the disguise of 'marketing a film.' She further claimed, “in South no one can dare do such things because the industry stands united on lot of fronts.”
“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,” Yami Gautam posted on X.
What did Yami Gautam say?
In a lengthy message, Yami criticised what she described as an “extortion-like” practice disguised as film marketing—where money is allegedly demanded to generate positive buzz or prevent negative write-ups before release.
She wrote that the system, accessible to anyone willing to pay, allows manipulation—either to artificially hype a film or to deliberately pull another down. According to her, this “plague” could severely damage the future of Indian cinema.
“Just because this arrangement is accessible to anyone- whether to ‘hype’ a film or spread negativity against another actor/a film is a plague that is going to affect the future of our industry in a big way. Unfortunately if anyone feels- it’s harmless & let’s do it because it’s the new ‘normal’, is mistaken. This monster of a ‘trend’ is eventually going to bite everyone,” Yami said in her post.
Dhurandhar advance booking
Yami's comment comes ahead of the release of the Ranveer Singh starrer – Dhurandhar – which saw muted advance bookings. Helmed by Aditya Dhar, the film was recently cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) amid controversy over its alleged link to Major Mohit Sharma.
According to the industry tracker Sacnilk, Dhurandhar sold 58,801 tickets as of Wednesday, December 3. The film has managed to get 3,315 screens across India.
Why Dhurandhar was under scrutiny?
A week before its release, the family of late Major Mohit Sharma—Ashoka Chakra and Sena Medal awardee—moved the Delhi High Court to stop the film, alleging that its content mirrors Major Sharma’s life and career without consent.
The family’s petition argued that the film draws heavily from Major Sharma’s counter-terrorism operations in Kashmir and his undercover mission, without crediting or consulting the family or the Indian Army. They contended that a martyr’s life cannot be used “for profit” and that such depiction violates posthumous personality rights and the family’s dignity.
The High Court directed CBFC to consider the objections raised by Sharma's family.
The Board officials reexamined the query of the High Court, evaluating if the film, in any manner, directly or indirectly depicts, resembles or derives from Sharma's life. It concluded Dhurandhar as a a work of fiction, with no factual or biographical connection to the late Major.
On Tuesday, news agency ANI confirmed that the Board has dismissed the family's objections over the film. It confirmed that Dhurandhar has no resemblance to the life, service, or experiences of Major Sharma.
