A dark secret long whispered in the corridors of the Hindi film industry has now been brought into the glaring spotlight. The practice of manipulating box office figures to create a false narrative of success has been exposed by industry insiders, revealing a systemic racket where perception is often manufactured, not earned.
The Scripted Numbers Game
In a recent panel discussion, veteran journalist Vickey Lalwani shared a startling anecdote that lays bare the pre-planned nature of box office declarations. He recounted being in a producer's office on the second day of his film's release. The team was already designing a promotional graphic claiming the film had earned Rs 24 crore for that day, even though the day's business had just begun. "How could they know how much the film will make?" Lalwani questioned. The next day, he saw the exact same Rs 24 crore figure being circulated widely across media and trade circles. "So everything is scripted, everything is planned," he concluded.
Actors and the Housefull Fraud
The manipulation extends beyond producers to the stars themselves. Lalwani detailed a common tactic where actors financially engineer sold-out shows. He explained a method involving brand endorsements: If an actor's fee for a soft drink advertisement is Rs 2 crore, they might agree to take only Rs 1 crore, instructing the brand to divert the remaining Rs 1 crore to theatres to purchase tickets for their own film. This creates the illusion of overwhelming public demand and "housefull" boards. This practice, known as block booking or corporate booking, has become a major point of discussion post-pandemic.
The motive is clear: to protect brand value and future earning potential. "Actors are doing this so it doesn't hamper their brand value in case they have a flop at the box office," Lalwani stated. He added that this allows them to command a higher fee for their next project, and the same applies to directors. He bluntly labelled the entire ecosystem "a racket."
The Producer's Dilemma and Perception Management
This culture of perception over performance has been acknowledged by powerful figures within the industry. In an earlier roundtable on Galatta Plus, filmmaker Karan Johar spoke candidly about the pressure to change the narrative for a struggling film. "As a producer, you will make every last-ditch attempt to make your film be heard," Johar said. He admitted his stance changes with each film's fate. While he can afford to stay quiet for a genuine hit, for average or underperforming films, the strategy shifts. "We need to give the impression that they're doing better than they actually are," he confessed.
The obsession with box office numbers has fundamentally altered film discourse. Conversations about cinema now overwhelmingly focus on commercial performance—how much a film earned on its first Monday or second weekend—rather than its artistic merit, storytelling, or craft. In this high-stakes environment, the fear of losing face and the struggle to get future projects greenlit drive producers and stars to participate in this cycle of manufactured success, leaving the true quality and reception of a film buried under inflated figures.
