MUMBAI: India’s $60-billion Bollywood industry is facing a deepening credibility crisis, as insiders warn that manipulated film reviews and inflated box office numbers are distorting public perception, ultimately hurting ticket sales.Streaming platforms have disrupted traditional cinema but industry veterans say Bollywood’s woes are also self-inflicted — including the trend to declare a film a “hit” even before its release.”If you don’t engage these influencers and critics, they will write bad reviews, even if the film is good,” producer-distributor Suniel Wadhwa told AFP.”If the film is bad, they will write good things about the film, provided the producer or studio has paid them.”Trade analyst and veteran distributor Raj Bansal said audiences have grown sceptical of early rave reviews.”As soon as the media gives four stars, people message me saying, ‘Sir, that means the movie is not good,'” Bansal said.”And, even if the film is good, they don’t trust it.”That distrust is now visible at the box office.”Regular cinema-goers wait to know the correct reports,” Bansal said.That means ticket sales during the vital opening shows “take a major dip” as film fans wait for word of mouth or “genuine reviews” to come out, he added.Industry insiders allege that some influencers have “rate cards”, with prices rising for films that generate low pre-release buzz.Producers, meanwhile, are accused of bulk-buying tickets to inflate opening-week numbers.”Everything is bought and manipulated,” Bansal said, referring to both reviews and social media personalities.
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