
EP-371 | Bollywood’s PR ‘Mafia’, Box Office Lies & Star 'Ego' | Taran Adarsh & Bhawana Somaaya
ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash
Episode · 23 Plays
Episode · 23 Plays · 1:18:07 · Dec 10, 2025
About
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.Timestamps00:00 – Introduction01:00 – PR Culture in Bollywood06:23 – Hema Malini–Dharmendra’s Marriage12:58 – Rajshri Films & ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’ Review17:31 – Inside Raj Kapoor’s RK Studios22:01 – Generational Changes in Bollywood27:25 – Jaya Bachchan and the Paparazzi31:54 – Books on Amitabh Bachchan37:43 – Box Office Truths41:27 – ‘Saiyaara’ Review42:01 – Honest Reviews vs Actor ‘Ego’46:02 – Evolution of Film Reviews52:02 – Influencers & Media Credibility57:42 – Impact of AI and Social Media on Film Criticism1:02:19 – Modern Trend of Entourages1:05:39 – Evolution of Audience Preferences1:14:04 – Theatre Experience vs OTT Viewing
1h 18m 7s · Dec 10, 2025
© 2025 Parijat Innovators Pvt. Ltd