'Most of What We See is Bought': Shahid Kapoor Slams Inorganic Social Media Trends, Says Actors Can't Take Solo Ownership of Box-Office Success

Does Shahid Kapoor feel the pressure to deliver the next ₹1000-crore mega-hit, the industry’s new box-office ceiling? Kapoor, who shattered records with his 2019 blockbuster Kabir Singh, believes the theatrical landscape has shifted so radically over the last few years that it'd be wrong for an actor to take solo credit of a massive success.

"I feel like I cannot take ownership of it," Kapoor tells THR India. "If we look at how things have played out over the last seven to eight years, it’s wrong for an actor to claim that a film's success is entirely attributed to their star power. I don’t think we’re in that phase anymore."

The actor, who is the cover star of the month, said today producers are "extremely important" because, the "truth" is that one "can’t be seen if you don’t have money to spend."

"That’s the nature of everything. Most of what we see on social media, which feels organic, is not organic. It’s all bought. And I want to be very honest about it. There’s nothing to hide because I like to be candid. So everybody buys stuff. If you want to hear something good about somebody, nobody’s going to say something good about you unless you buy it. Or if you win the Oscar or your numbers are so crazy that nobody has the guts to say that they didn’t like your film," Kapoor said.

This heavily-engineered online discourse has systematically eroded the space for genuine nuance and dialogue around cinema. Kapoor points to Kabir Singh as a prime example of a film that was deeply polarising and sparked intense cultural debates despite its staggering commercial run. Today, he notes, a massive box-office number is routinely used to silence any critical dissent.

"There was a phase where people actively disputed Kabir Singh, and that was fine," he recalls. "Some people had strong opinions even though the film was a massive hit, and people should absolutely be able to express themselves. But today, the narrative has flipped to, 'Oh, the film has made money, so let’s not say anything against it.' Everyone just wants to align with the popular opinion."

This lack of critical friction, Kapoor warns, is steering everyone into dangerous territory by rewarding only a very specific formula.

"If you look closely, there is mostly just a certain type of cinema that is working right now, and the lack of an open, healthy discourse around it isn't good for the industry. We need to break out of these boxes. We need to be able to offer the audience entirely different genres that can actually work."

The actor said if one takes a closer look, there is "mostly a certain type" of cinema that’s doing well and the lack of even discourse around it is "not healthy for the industry."

"We need to be able to break genre. We need to be able to give the audience different genres that work," he added.

Kapoor will be next seen in Cocktail 2, scheduled to hit theaters on June 19. The film also stars Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna.