It’s open season in Bollywood—where the battle rages on both on and off the big screen. In recent months, we’ve seen Hollywood stars like Blake Lively fighting back against alleged smear campaigns, and Korean fans of late Kim Sae Ron calling out past campaigns against her. And, as the tabloids tell, Bollywood isn’t far behind. Allegations of targeted defamation and fake narratives have become part of the industry’s daily churn over the past month. While some stars bite the bullet and wait out the social media storm, others like Aamir Khan, Javed Akhtar and many others have opted to take the legal route to get to the bottom of the nasty rumours, vile social media posts and other damaging reports.
Smear campaigns have increasingly become a troubling aspect of the entertainment industry, affecting numerous celebrities. But, do these campaigns actually impact a star's public image or a film’s box office fate, or are they just noise in an era where controversy equals clicks? Let's find out...
