The delicate truce that existed between Bollywood stars and the paparazzi has been broken again by a controversial incident involving the entourage of Ranbir Kapoor. A loud and heated argument took place between Kapoor’s security team and the photographers outside the office of the well-known filmmaker, when the former tried to remove the latter from the scene, at the same time, closing the gate that photographers, who asserted that they were invited to cover the actor’s visit, claimed to have used.
The video that has gone viral shows the frustration of the photographers, with one person being heard shouting, “Are bhai bulaya hai! Are message hum sabke paas ese kya kar rahe ho?” (Brother, we were called! We all have received the message, why are you doing this?). The publicists’ tactics being termed as a snub, after the media had already been invited for a photo session, has brought back the ongoing argument regarding the celebrity-paparazzi relationship, especially the control and manipulation by PR teams.
Paparazzi Frustration: The Snub and the Setup
The main reason for the recent conflict is the supposed difference between the PR department’s invitation and the on-ground team’s execution. The fact is that the paparazzi usually work with the so-called ‘tips’ or the formal requests from the celebrities’ side to have the media attention controlled. In this particular case, the media people are said to be showing texts that prove their invitation to take pics of the star outside the production house.
The quick rejection by Kapoor’s bodyguards saying they should clear the gate was taken as an outright insult and a waste of their professional time, thus turning a planned photo-op into an ugly public fight. The expression ‘Are bhai bulaya hai’ has already become a soundbite of the moment, which sums up the feeling of betrayal among the journalists.
The greatest trick Ranbir Kapoor has played was trying to convince people he has no PR, but in reality, he has the most manipulative PR. Now he is getting exposed, and this is yet another proof pic.twitter.com/V29CGwSQbu
— 🌱 (@sharvarilove) December 2, 2025
Classist Echoes: Jaya Bachchan’s Viral Remarks
The dispute becomes more acute and emotionally charged as Jaya Bachchan’s classist remarks about the paparazzi profession have gone viral, still buzzing in people’s minds. Maybe one day before, the veteran actress and politician had to bear the brunt of a wide backlash due to her extremely critical and condescending remarks about the appearance, education, and “background” of the paparazzi.
Some people declared Bachchan’s comments, which were really latter to the matter, as elitist, and thus, a big discussion unfolded over the net about the devaluation of the middle-class media professionals by some high-ups in the industry.
The Ranbir Kapoor team’s overt rudeness towards the visiting photographers the exact people whom Bachchan attacked with her words is not just a past incident but the present one illustrating the disparity of power between the photographer and the Bollywood side, thus, the argument that a part of the industry considers the photographers as just an unneeded, yet out being the only one possible by-product of them being the ones who deal with the photographers when the filmmakers need to give the shots is strengthened.
A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
