Ajey Flops As Manufactured Controversy Fails To Draw Audiences To Theatres

It is striking how quickly lack of marketing leads some producers to resort to manufactured controversy as a substitute for a coherent release strategy. Hindi feature film, ‘Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi’, a biopic of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath illustrates the risks of that shortcut. The film, directed by Ravindra Gautam with newcomer Anant Joshi in the lead, endured censor delays and repeated postponements, and was released with almost no pre‑release publicity: no sustained trailer campaign, limited social assets, negligible media buying and no visible on‑ground outreach. With no established star, director profile, or promotional momentum, the makers appear to have leaned on controversy to generate interest. Media reports and social chatter suggested that some groups opposed the film and that it faced restrictions in certain overseas markets; those narratives were amplified across news channels and digital platforms, creating a storm of attention that had little to do with the film’s craft or storytelling. By contrast, Jolly LLB 3 benefited from classic, disciplined marketing: franchise recognition, TV integrations, viral short‑form content and broad social amplification. The result was Jolly LLB 3 reported opening day collection of around Rs 13 crore, while Ajey managed barely Rs 20 lakh nationwide. That gulf underlines a simple truth: controversy is not a marketing plan. Manufactured outrage may produce headlines, but it rarely translates into sustained audience trust or ticket sales. The Ajey case serves as a cautionary tale for low‑budget and debut projects. Effective promotion need not be extravagant, but it must be strategic: clear positioning, targeted digital spend, festival and critic engagement, and grassroots visibility. When films are launched without those basics, manufactured controversy becomes an all‑too‑tempting, and usually ineffective, fallback.