Janvi Arora
Marketing vs. Authenticity: can Junaid Khan win over Bollywood without a PR facade?
7th February 2025, Friday
Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor, both of whom made their OTT debut in ‘Maharaj’ (2024) and ‘The Archies’ (2023), respectively, have faced the prospect of their first stint on the silver screen in ‘Loveyapa’, released today. Although in acting terms, this is not really their first film, their promotional tour has been talked about-an almost necessary step to draw attention to all varying reasons.
The Public Persona Divide
While Khushi Kapoor has maintained a cool ‘girl–next–door’ exterior with a simple style, Junaid Khan has made himself onto the news for being crassly candid-to the point of being unaffected when he appears publicly. His divide attracts audiences: Some appreciate his refreshing honesty, while others feel that as a newcomer he needed to polish up a bit.
One such clip during promotions, now going viral, shows Junaid candidly saying that he is not getting a lot of work. The way he takes this all in a stride was met with mixed reactions on the web.
The Backlash and the Praise
Among critics, it seems that his lack of polish might impede rather than enhance his early career. “This was second-hand embarrassment,” they added: “He should work in a customer service job to improve his communication skills.” Such were the voices of many; in fact, comparisons with Aamir Khan have been made, his father, who is known as one of the most strategic and articulate public figures in India.
But a good chunk of the audience sees this authenticity Junaid brings as a sharp departure from PR and marketing-honed stories which are fed to people in general in the name of Bollywood. Supporters, in fact, argue that he doesn’t conform to the standards of marketing that the industry demands-usually put out in scripted responses to any question-by saying, “Why do we need the same scripted PR responses from every star?”-“Let actors be actors, not marketers.” Many have also pointed out that he has potential in Maharaj; his focus should be on acting and not on becoming some sort of media-savvy personality.
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The Road Ahead
No matter which way you look at it, Junaid Khan’s journey in Bollywood has just seen the dimmest glimmer of being engendered. What remains to be seen is whether he continues to don the filter-less approach or mellows down in adjusting himself to the fabric of Bollywood film politics. Loveyapa, however, for now, keeps Junaid and Khushi Kapoor in the limelight, doting on them, as they stumble through their early years in the industry.
NI Bureau
Prateeksha Thakur
