Why Does Bollywood Fail to Humanise its Influencer Characters?

Over the last decade, Bollywood screenwriters have found a new short-hand: social media. Whether it바카라�s Ranbir Kapoor바카라�s expedited ascent as a musician in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) or a rival politician바카라�s fall from grace because of a leaked sex tape in Mirzapur (2018-present), social media바카라�s omnipresence in mainstream films and shows reflects our hyper-digital era. But it has also become a source for narrative convenience, where a 바카라�viral바카라� clip or a tweet ends up (usually) overestimating its impact in the real world. In the last few years, Bollywood has zoomed in further by including the social media sphere as a part of the setting, where there바카라�s at least one influencer character in the primary cast. Films like Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023), the web series Call Me Bae (2024), and the recent Vikramaditya Motwane film, Ctrl (2024) 바카라� all feature influencers as principal characters (coincidentally all three films also star Ananya Panday). Mainstream films and shows rarely distil subcultures with nuance and care, therefore it바카라�s no surprise that they haven바카라�t done justice to the depiction of social media바카라�a dark, lonely place beyond its bright pixels. And showcase influencers beyond the stereotypical portrayal as someone shallow, transactional, or too uninformed바카라�ending up as a comic relief.

One thing that bothered me no end about Motwane바카라�s film is an influencer asking a brand-new AI tool about TOR바카라�a browser for the dark web. While I empathise with the intent of the makers to explain it to an audience unfamiliar with what the 바카라�dark web바카라� might be, I feel it could바카라�ve been done in a less clumsy way. By getting Nella (Panday) to ask her AI assistant, who is ready with a Wikipedia answer, it felt like Motwane was trying to move on to the next thing in the fastest way possible, without fully investigating the reason behind his choice. 바카라�I don바카라�t think this level of idiot-proofing is necessary,바카라� says creator Arushi Kapoor, 바카라�but it바카라�s becoming a trend these days.바카라� She also talks about how most people watching Netflix would have been in the vicinity of a joke being cracked around the dark web or digital surveillance.

Akshay Nayar, a filmmaker/creator, argues that while we used to be surprised about seeing targeted ads on our social media feeds four-five years ago, it바카라�s become normal today. 바카라�These days, we scream the names of things whose ads we wish to see,바카라� he says half-jokingly. 바카라�I think, consciously or subconsciously, we바카라�ve accepted the dystopia.바카라� One thing that irked Nayar was how Nella would keep her camera on all the time바카라�without the slightest bit of paranoia. But then he rationalises it with the fact that how GenZ aggressively overshares their lives online, mainly out of ignorance. 바카라�I바카라�ve seen people with 600 subscribers giving a tour of their home, their family, tagging and posting every place they바카라�re in. If someone wants to get you, they just need to go through your feed. People have gotten robbed because of this.바카라�

Even though Nayar didn바카라�t love Ctrl, he isn바카라�t dismissive of it because his own mother was spooked by the film. 바카라�The concept felt a little dated to me, but that바카라�s probably because I바카라�d seen Black Mirror almost a decade ago. So, maybe you and I are not the audience for Ctrl,바카라� he says. 바카라�On the other hand, my mother is now seeing her Alexa device in a totally new light.바카라� Bedi, who acted in Thank You For Coming (2022) and Trial By Fire (2023), concedes that while most films capture some nuances of the influencer world, there바카라�s some pigeonholing. 바카라�Not everything comes from a performative place, it바카라�s what makes us relatable.바카라� She adds how social media has disrupted the hegemony of celebrityhood, but it바카라�s still seen as a non-serious profession, which contributes to its distasteful depictions. Kapoor echoes Bedi바카라�s statement, explaining how each time she meets a prospective client who isn바카라�t clued into social media, she has to do this 바카라�dance바카라� of explaining her journey into the creator economy. 바카라�I feel everyone views it a bit negatively바카라�there바카라�s a presumption that little work goes into it. It doesn바카라�t need much thinking or strategising. As if my whole journey is a result of some accidental fame.바카라�

One thing that irks all these creators is the myth of 바카라�viral바카라� videos on the Internet, and how life changes after. 바카라�Gone are the times where one viral video makes a star out of a creator,바카라� says Bedi, 바카라�Given how the creator scene is today (and has been for a while), one such video gets you attention for two days, without any guarantee of followers or fame.바카라� Kapoor concurs: 바카라�It바카라�s a very Ted Talk-ish thing to say, but people talk about the one video that got ten million hits. But they also need to focus on the many videos that didn바카라�t work. Like Yashraj Mukhate, he went viral with Rasode mein kaun tha바카라�but it took him a few years to reach there.바카라�

It바카라�s obviously not all hopeless바카라�Bollywood has made a few realistic films depicting the social media jungle. Like Zoya Akhtar바카라�s Gully Boy (2019) that showcases Murad바카라�s gradual rise from the shanties of Dharavi to becoming the opening act for an international artist. Similarly, in Bhakshak (2024), a stringer in Bihar exposes an abuse ring through her YouTube channel but doesn바카라�t go viral till the very end. Even after the national dailies pick the news up from her channel. Dibakar Banerjee바카라�s Love, Sex Aur Dhokha 2 (2024) does a splendid job of cutting the influencer culture to size, carving personas out of people, mining them for their insecurities, fears and their sheer desperation parading as ambition.

Bedi believes the short shelf-life of a content creator in today바카라�s times is one trick that filmmakers have missed till now바카라�depicting the anxiety of a creator [except LSD 2]. 바카라�It could be because of anything; the algorithm could change or there could be a new trend. You바카라�re running a business, and you have to be wired in all the time.바카라� Nayar makes a bold prediction for the influencer economy in the next decade, saying many will come to terms with burnout, and it바카라�s going to be a rollercoaster. 바카라�Everyone seems to be chasing this mirage바카라�. Is Bollywood watching closely?