New Delhi: Senior journalist and ABP News Executive Editor Megha Prasad has publicly criticised PR agency MSL India over what she described as a “deeply unpleasant” experience during a media interaction for the upcoming Netflix film Maa-Behen, featuring Madhuri Dixit and Tripti Dimri.
In a detailed post on X, Prasad alleged that a PR representative managing the interaction repeatedly interrupted her interview, shouted inside the room, and forced her to move away from questions linked to ongoing issues in Bollywood.
According to Prasad, the media interactions for the film were being handled by MSL India, the PR agency managing promotions for Netflix. She said the interview was proceeding smoothly until she asked the actors about Ranveer Singh reportedly being banned by FWICE for walking out of Don 3.
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Prasad claimed that as the actors began responding and she followed up on their answers, a PR representative in the room suddenly shouted, “I’m sorry, we will not be taking any more questions on this.”
She said the tone was “so loud and aggressive” that not only she, but the film’s cast members were visibly taken aback. Prasad said she objected to the interruption, but the PR representative repeated herself, after which the journalist moved on.
The journalist further alleged that the same PR representative interrupted her again when she asked one of the actors about a separate incident during the film’s promotions, where paparazzi had reportedly asked her to step aside while focusing only on Madhuri Dixit and Tripti Dimri.
Prasad claimed the PR representative “screamed again, even louder this time” and asked her to wrap up the interview immediately. The journalist said she requested five more minutes, but was forced to stop shortly after.
In her post, Prasad also raised a larger concern about how promotional interviews are conducted in the entertainment industry. She said news channels are often not allowed to use their own camera setups during such interactions and are instead required to rely on cameras arranged by the production or PR team.
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According to her, this arrangement gives PR teams tight control over the final footage, allowing them to delete or edit portions they may find inconvenient before sharing the selected material with broadcasters.
“The clear purpose of this arrangement is to maintain tight control over the content,” Prasad wrote, adding that PR teams can selectively share edited footage with news organisations.
She challenged the PR agency and the production house to release the full, unedited footage of the interview so the public could hear the manner in which the interaction was allegedly stopped.
Prasad said the issue was not just about one interview, but about what she described as the growing “high-handedness” of PR agencies during media interactions.
“Since when did they assume the role of gatekeepers who can bully, scream at, and rudely silence journalists?” she asked.
She also questioned Netflix and its Indian arm over the choice of people entrusted with promoting its films. In her post, she tagged Netflix, Netflix India and Netflix France, urging them to reflect on the conduct of agencies representing their projects.
Prasad also referred to MSL India’s association with Publicis Groupe, saying one would expect more professional conduct from a company linked to a global communications network.
The incident has triggered a wider discussion around access journalism, celebrity interviews, PR control, and the shrinking space for independent questioning during film promotions.
Media professionals have often raised concerns over tightly managed promotional environments where interviews are timed, monitored and sometimes restricted to preferred talking points. Prasad’s allegations have again brought attention to the power imbalance between journalists and PR teams during entertainment media interactions.
A query was sent by Media Noise to the PR agency seeking its response to the allegations made by Megha Prasad. The agency’s response is awaited.
Until MSL India, Netflix or the production team respond publicly, the allegations remain based on Prasad’s account of the incident.
