Why Babil Khan’s emotional outburst triggered PR Whiplash in Bollywood?

Dubai: Babil Khan had a moment. A real one. Teary-eyed, visibly shaken, and saying out loud what so many whisper at brunch: “Bollywood is [expletive]. Bollywood is rude. ”He named names. Not so big ones, but the kind that make brand managers twitch. And just like that, the PR klaxons went off.

Within hours, a templated statement arrived—likely copy-pasted from the same tired folder where all celebrity ‘clarifications’ go to die.

Apparently, Babil was “misinterpreted.” The video, we’re told, was him “sincerely acknowledging his peers” for their “authenticity and passion.”

Really? That’s your spin? The man was crying, y’all—not handing out award nominations.

Honestly, if Bollywood PR is going to keep churning out these generic, vanilla responses, they may as well ask AI to draft them. At least we’d get a more layered response.

Where’s the nuance? The honesty? The guts to admit that sometimes, the industry is cruel, alienating, and exhausting—even to the well-connected? Instead of using Babil’s breakdown as an opportunity to show growth or even accountability, the PR playbook did what it always does: deny, deflect, dilute.

If this is “damage control,” it’s the most uninspired form of it. PR folks, take note: the audience is smarter now. We can spot a glossed-up cover-up from a mile away. Next time, try a statement that doesn’t read like it was drafted by a legal intern half-asleep on a Friday.

In the meantime, maybe let your clients be human. Even in Bollywood, that shouldn’t be so revolutionary.