EP-371 | Bollywood’s PR ‘Mafia’, Box Office Lies & Star 'Ego' | Taran Adarsh & Bhawana Somaaya

Taran Adarsh is a leading film trade analyst and renowned critic. With decades of experience, he is considered one of the most trusted voices on box office trends and reviews.

Bhawana Somaaya is an Indian film journalist, critic, author and historian. She was conferred the Padma Shri in 2017. She has written over 13 books on Hindi cinema and iconic Bollywood personalities.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Taran Adarsh exposes how social-media armies and personalised PR machinery are creating a new kind of burden on Hindi cinema. He explains how actors’ ‘big’ egos and reduced director control are hurting Bollywood today.

Bhawana Somaaya talks about writing on Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, showing how stars bounce back from setbacks. She shares untold stories about Dharmendra and Yash Chopra and reflects on how Bollywood has changed since the 1970s.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction

01:00 – PR Culture in Bollywood

06:23 – Hema Malini–Dharmendra’s Marriage

12:58 – Rajshri Films & ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’ Review

17:31 – Inside Raj Kapoor’s RK Studios

22:01 – Generational Changes in Bollywood

27:25 – Jaya Bachchan and the Paparazzi

31:54 – Books on Amitabh Bachchan

37:43 – Box Office Truths

41:27 – ‘Saiyaara’ Review

42:01 – Honest Reviews vs Actor ‘Ego’

46:02 – Evolution of Film Reviews

52:02 – Influencers & Media Credibility

57:42 – Impact of AI and Social Media on Film Criticism

1:02:19 – Modern Trend of Entourages

1:05:39 – Evolution of Audience Preferences

1:14:04 – Theatre Experience vs OTT Viewing