Bollywood’s production houses are drawing battle lines against a new adversary — social media influencers. Eight months after the Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) urged for an embargo on reviews for the first three days of a movie’s release, the Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC) has begun discussions on how to rein in review bombing. According to multiple producers, influencers with a large set of followers on YouTube and Instagram demand obnoxious amounts of money in exchange for favourable reviews. The filmmakers, who refuse, find their movies panned on the release day.

A senior producer consulting with IFTPC on the matter, requesting anonymity, told mid-day that it has become an “extortion” of sorts. He said, “We have influencers sending rate cards before release, demanding lakhs for ‘positive coverage.’ If you don’t play along, they upload a 10-minute slam piece the morning of release.” The damage can be irreparable, especially since opening weekend box-office collections are crucial in the post-pandemic market. Another producer pointed out, “If you notice, there was an unnatural amount of hate for War 2 and Param Sundari.”

The IFTPC is now in talks with the Producers Guild of India — which has Dharma Productions, Yash Raj Films, and Excel Entertainment as its members — to curb the menace. The two bodies have scheduled a meeting for September 26, where the IFTPC will propose a code of conduct. Some options being considered include blacklisting influencers found soliciting money, pushing platforms to enforce disclosure of paid content, and exploring legal remedies for defamation.

When mid-day reached out to Suresh Amin, CEO, IFTPC, he confirmed the development, saying, “We have drafted a robust set of suggestions and sent it to our solicitor. Once we receive notes from him, we’ll decide on the way forward. We’ll ensure that producers aren’t facing the brunt of this manipulation.”

The role of many producers, who were initially happy to cough up money to get positive reviews, cannot be discounted. Manish Goswami, vice-president, Producers Guild, noted, “It’s a vicious cycle. The entire system should be abolished.”

Hindi filmmakers are already queueing up to get film titles inspired by the successful landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the moon registered. Mumbai-based Western India Film Producers Association reveals that they have already received two requests for titles, including Chandrayaan 1 and 2, after India’s historic achievement on Wednesday.

Anil Nagrath of the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) shares, “We have been getting requests for titles based on Chandrayaan 3 for the last four weeks. We have received 12-15 title requests, including Chandrayan Ki Yatra. Excitement toh hai. Many people didn’t even wait for the event to happen, at least the ones who were smart were quick to make a move.”

Suresh Amin, Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC), shares, “Everything is sold out. Mission Chandrayaan, Chandrayaan 3, Chand Ki Khoj Mein and Hindustan Ki Shaan Chandrayaan are among the titles that have been come in for registration. Now, it will take almost 15 days for these titles to get approved. We send such request lists to all the (producers) associations, and if there is any objection, then we do not grant the title.”

This isn't the first time, when a frenzy around situational titles has been witnessed. A similar situation happened during the pandemic when makers lined up to register titles around Covid. Suresh reveals, “We started getting requests for titles from 6 pm Wednesday. So far, we have received 8-10 requests. I’m certain all over India, an estimated 100 title requests revolving Chandrayaan would have been received.”

While he refuses to name any makers, who may have registered the titles, he says, “These are all big producers requesting for these titles. However, I guess only two or three movies will be made out of these requests.”