Deepika Padukone's PR stunt puts 'Pathaan' in trouble

The actor's uncalled for visit to JNU campus to express solidarity with left-wing protestors has not been forgotten by conscious cine-goers.

Mumbai, Dec 14: Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer 'Pathaan' is the latest Bollywood movie which is facing a boycott call from a section of netizens. They have attacked the Hindi movie, scheduled to be released on January 26, using the hashtag #BoycottPathaan.

BOYCOTT TREND:

Many Hindi movies, like Aamir Khan's 'Laal Singh Chaddha' and Ranbir Kapoor's 'Brahmastra', have faced similar situations in recent years. In most cases, the heroes had put their movies in trouble due to their controversial comments.

For instance, the video clip in which Ranbir Kapoor is seen saying that he loves "beef" did not go well with the netizens. In an older video, the actor was seen mocking a Hindu mantra. Also, the film's female protagonist and now his wife Alia Bhatt's reaction to the boycott trend (where she said that "if you don't like me, don't watch me") also angered the cine-goers further.

WHY 'PATHAN':

So, why is there anger against Shah Rukh's film among the cine-goers? Here, the anger is not largely towards Shah Rukh Khan but against Deepika Padukone. In an attempt to garner free publicity to her 'Chhapaak' in 2020, she had visited the JNU campus to express solidarity with the protestors who claimed to have been attacked by right wing activists.

Although the 'stunt' helped her draw attention towards her film, the controversy failed to translate into business and the movie bombed at the box office. Though Deepika did not make any verbal comment there, her extending silent support to the left-wingers has not been forgotten by conscious cine-goers. And that's what seems to have backfired badly as the netizens are now asking people to boycott 'Pathaan'.

BOLLYWOOD'S WORRY:

In recent years, the Hindi film industry is struggling to deliver hit movies. Many films of A-list actors have failed to strike gold at the box office and such controversies are not helping the cause. Gone are the days when celebrities claimed that 'any publicity is good publicity'. Today, a single mistake can ruin a film's prospects.

Well, the industry is hoping that Deepika's past issue will not prove so costly for 'Pathaan', which is a crucial one for Shah Rukh after delivering a series of flops. Though Bollywood is pinning high hopes on 'Pathaan', time will tell what impact the boycott call will have on it.