Did Shah Rukh Khan intentionally cordone off media from Jawan 'press conference'?

Shah Rukh Khan's film Jawan had generated significant buzz with a grand trailer launch, accompanied by a pre-release event in Chennai and an audio launch event. The film's director, Atlee, along with actors Vijay Sethupathi and Yogi Babu, music director Anirudh Ravichander, and other cast and crew members attended the event, while Nayanthara was noticeably absent. Recently, the event has been marred by controversy, with allegations suggesting that Shah Rukh Khan deliberately restricted media access. It is claimed that the actor controlled the narrative by limiting the media's ability to report freely, sparking debate about the motivations behind this decision.

Bharathi S Pradhan, a journalist, recently shared her thoughts on the evolving dynamics of press conferences in Bollywood. During an interview with ANI, alongside trade journalist Komal Nahta, Pradhan expressed her concerns about the increasing control exerted by celebrities over media interactions. She recalled how Shah Rukh Khan peddled such practices at the Jawan event. 

Pradhan shared an incident during the promotion of Khan's film Jawan, where the media was cordoned off, and only selected individuals were allowed to ask questions. She described the event as a "launch" rather than a press conference, emphasising her disapproval of Khan's actions. ““You just call it a launch not press conference. This is something I hold against Shah Rukh Khan for sure. He did something which I find unforgivable. When he had a film called Jawan, they called it a press conference and called everybody, and then they cordoned off the media. They had their fans and people right in front. They only took questions from their own people and the media was not allowed access,” she said.

Further, she questioned the legitimacy of criticising Prime Minister Modi for not holding press conferences in India while adopting similar practices in the film industry. “How do you call it a press conference, and then you all talking against Modi ji that he is not doing a press conference in India, tum log pehle karo, you people have lost the meaning of press conference,” she added.

Pradhan's remarks highlighted the shifting landscape of celebrity-media interactions in Bollywood, where control and exclusivity appear to be gaining precedence over traditional press conferences.