Yami Gautam slams paid-hype culture ahead of husband Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar release: ‘We’re being blackmailed’

As the release of the much‑anticipated film Dhurandhar starring Ranveer Singh draws near, actress Yami Gautam took to social media to raise her voice against what she described as a pernicious and growing trend in Bollywood.

Dhurandhar is produced and directed by her husband Aditya Dhar. Aditya is co producing the movie with Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar. In a post shared on Instagram, Yami criticised the practice of paying for ‘hype’ under the guise of marketing, warning that it amounts to extortion and undermines the authenticity of the film industry.

She wrote, “There is something I’ve been wanting to express since really long, I feel today is that day & I must. 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/a film is a plague that is going to affect the future of our industry in a big way.”
Yami  further wrote in her post those who refuse such tactics often face “negative coverage even before a film’s release.” She added, “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. If truth is exposed about a million things under the garb of who & what ‘success’ is over the past 5 years esp, unfortunately, it’s not going to be a pretty picture for many.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Yami Gautam Dhar (@yamigautam)

Yami further said that, “No one can dare do such things because the industry stands united on lot of fronts” as she urged the film industry to come together to discourage this concerning practice.

“I say this as a wife of an extremely honest man who has given everything to this film with his undying hardwork, vision & grit along with his team to create something that I know India shall be proud of. 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 & not the other way around. Let’s not kill the joy of filmmaking & presenting it to the world & letting the audience decide what they feel. We need to protect our industry environment,” concluded Yami.

Calling this pattern a “monster of a trend,” Yami said that paid hype or orchestrated negativity has become normalised and is harmful not just to individual films, but to the larger fabric of storytelling and cinema in India. She urged her colleagues, actors, directors, and producers to unite and take a stand before the practice becomes irreversible.

Yami, who is married to Dhurandhar’s director Aditya Dhar, reiterated her faith in genuine cinema, believing that good work should speak for itself, without artificial hype or shadow campaigns. She appealed to audiences and creators alike to not let fear, pressure, or money decide what deserves to be watched and appreciated.

With the film set to hit theatres on December 5, Yami’s bold statement has sparked a wider conversation about ethics, PR practices, and what true success in Indian cinema should look like.

Also Read: Yami Gautam celebrates 37th birthday on sets, expresses gratitude: "Working birthdays are one of the best "

Dhurandhar features a star-studded cast including Ranveer Singh, Sara Arjun, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, and R. Madhavan, among others.