In recent times, there’s been a trend of box office numbers being inflated by production houses and many trade analysts have also spoken about the corporate bookings of movies. When Alia Bhatt’s film ‘Jigra’ had released, Divya Khosla had accused the makers of corporate bookings. In a recent ‘ask me anything’ session of Reddit, Divya was asked about her previous statement and she launched a fresh new attack on people are into corporate bookings. For those not in the know, corporate bookings, in straightforward terms, refer to bulk seat purchases made by a film’s makers or associated brand to create an illusion that the movie is performing well. Khosla had previously accused the makers of inflating the film’s earnings using corporate bookings. The conversation originally stemmed from Khosla’s criticism earlier this year, when she watched ‘Jigra’ in a theatre and posted a picture of an almost empty hall. She wrote, “Went to Citi Mall PVR for Jigra show. Theatre was totally empty. All theaters going empty every where. Alia Bhatt me sach mein Bahut Jigra hai. Khud hi tickets karide aur fake collections announce kar diye… Wonder why paid media is silent.”Responding to the query, she said she could not stay silent when she believed something unethical was happening. he explained, “There is this one question about the Jigra thing that happened. There are certain things I feel, the moral practices especially, I think I should be using my platform and position to talk about something if it is truly wrong. God has given me that platform, and through my work I have reached here. Things have to be on merit, or where does it end?”Khosla further pointed out that those with influence seem to operate without consequence. “People do corporate bookings and buy awards, and you indulge in all of this just because you have power and money. Where do people who don’t have all that go, and what about them? It’s not just Jigra, because corporate bookings are happening in 90% of all Bollywood films. Whatever numbers are being declared, the actual collection is nowhere near that.”She highlighted that corporate bookings are no longer secretive and that everyone, from industry insiders to audiences, is aware of this trend. “Everybody in the industry knows this, and I think the audience also knows. It’s very sad, and I truly believe that if something this wrong is happening, it is the time to come together as a community and address it. I think Bollywood is divided for that, and I spoke up because I felt strongly about it, and it was something which I felt was really not right.”‘Jigra’, directed by Vasan Bala, starred Alia Bhatt alongside Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Rahul Ravindran, Sikandar Kher, and Sheeba Aggarwal. Despite receiving reasonably positive reviews, the film struggled to attract audiences during its theatrical run.
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