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