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Bollywood’s dirty secret: Paid reviews that are killing the industry

In October 2024, when director-producer Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions was gearing up nervously for the release of its Hindi-language film Jigra]Courage] in theatres, few knew that the 45-year-old production house, which has made some of India’s most loved films, had been struggling to survive.

Since 2019, most of Dharma’s films had not done well, and only one of the four films they released in theatres in 2024 had recovered some money.

Dharma’s net profits had plummeted, from $1.2m in fiscal year 2023 to $68, 135 a year later. Its managers and directors had reportedly not been paid for months. And Johar, 52, who had inherited the production house after his father’s death in 2004, was in talks to sell 50 percent stake.

Jigra, a thriller set in Thailand, had been made at a cost of 800 million rupees ($9.2m) and starred Alia Bhatt, one of Bollywood’s leading actresses who had also come on board as a co-producer. There were murmurs within Dharma and the film trade that the movie wasn’t likely to be a commercial success.

Dharma did its best to maintain the illusion that Jigra was going to be a hit. A few weeks before its release, it put out the film’s poster and trailer. On its social media handles it claimed that the trailer got more than 40 million views in 24 hours and shared fans ‘ excited reactions: “Goosebumps all over”, said one. “Absolute banger”, chirped another.

But most of these comments were from content creators and people connected with the movie or its stars.

On October 7, four days before the film’s release, Johar issued a statement to “Dear members of the media”, saying that henceforth Dharma would not hold pre-release screenings of their films, typically held for critics a day or two before a film’s release.

That was a big blow to the growing legions of YouTubers, vloggers and influencers who have taken to reviewing films on social media. Johar was basically telling them that he was no longer going to pay for positive reviews.

“It is an open secret in the film industry that 70-80 percent of the reviews are paid reviews”, a senior executive with Yash Raj Films (YRF), Bollywood’s venerable production house known for hits like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity. “Paid reviews are very much a part of this business as any other business”, he added.

Al Jazeera spoke with more than 20 film professionals, critics, PR executives and social media reviewers&nbsp, who confirmed that paying for puffery and hype is the norm in Bollywood and struggled to name films that had not paid for reviews.

Most agreed that reviews can’t turn duds into hits, but said that reviews can boost or shrink a film’s business by 10-15 percent in the first week, especially now when reviews go viral before a film’s release.

Producers and actors pay for positive reviews in the hope that they will create a word-of-mouth effect – film marketing’s Holy Grail – and carry the movie in the first week.

“There’s a menu card, literally. You pick what you want, and there’s a rate for everything”, the YRF executive said, pointing out that his was probably the only production house that didn’t do pre-release screenings and does not pay for reviews.

These rate cards, listing the amount of money it will cost to buy positive articles, favourable social media posts, tweets and memes were sent by a PR/marketing firm to filmmakers]Courtesy of Suparna Sharma]

Al Jazeera accessed some “rate cards” sent to producers and filmmakers by the PR and marketing firms engaged to handle a film’s publicity. These include&nbsp, the fees charged by some of India’s top news organisations, &nbsp, entertainment portals, trade analysts, social media reviewers and content creators. Most offer a range of services and package deals for positive articles and social media posts.

Deals can be struck for live tweeting about a film from the cinema hall on the day of its release, giving it a high star rating, and a glowing review and making it trend on social media with hashtags and memes. Producers can also opt for three to six-month-long packages to create a buzz about a film before and after its release. In these deals, everything – from the film’s poster, its trailer, songs, and box office predictions – gets talked up and is made to trend on social media.

The deals for paid articles with established media organisations, some entertainment portals and a few well-known trade analysts are formal, struck in advance and can cost anywhere between five million rupees ($57, 741) to 50 million rupees ($577, 410). Deals with established media organisations don’t usually include film reviews, but there is often a softening of tone in the bad ones when deals are struck. Or as everyone in Bollywood loves to say: “Negativity was managed”.

Deals with influencers and some individual critics are often cash-only and are negotiated around film previews. The lower the excitement about a film, the higher their price.

But lately, some cracks have started to appear in that business model.

It’s ‘ complete extortion ‘

So far, production houses have chased social media critics and influencers, flown them to Mumbai for previews, put them up in hotels, gifted them iPhones and paid them to write positive reviews.

“But more and more people spring up every week. And now it’s got to a point that if you don’t give money to some of these guys, they will start slamming your film. It’s complete extortion”, a film director said.

That was the experience for Dharma Productions as well. With its finances already bleeding, the harassment and extra costs had begun to pinch, and the company decided that it was time to put a stop to it, a source close to Dharma told Al Jazeera.

Jigra was released on October 11 to mostly negative reviews and trolling. While Dharma Productions eschewed the influencers, it maintained its deals with the established media publications. On its social media handles, it publicised posters with high star ratings from those media houses and reviewers, the very posters that, Johar has admitted in public, are kept ready before a film’s release.

Among the few positive social media reviews, one stood out. It wasn’t just glowing but was from someone not typically associated with Bollywood.

CricCrazyJohns, a cricket influencer handle with more than 600, 000 followers on X, charges up to 30, 000 rupees per tweet. It’s run by a young southern Indian, who doesn’t understand much Hindi, yet he is occasionally engaged by Bollywood to tweet about films and actors ‘ performances. The text is usually provided to him.

On October 11, he tweeted: ” Jigra is a game-changer. Alia Bhatt shines … this emotional rollercoaster is a must-watch”.

Jigra’s producers even bought theatre tickets to create the impression that people were flocking to cinemas. “But the total business was so small that it didn’t really make a difference”, Raj Bansal, a veteran film distributor, told Al Jazeera.

Jigra flopped, barely recovering one-third of its cost. Some put its dismal performance down to the fact that it was a dreary film. But for others, Jigra’s fate reinforced their belief that Bollywood was now hostage to the Frankenstein it had created.

“This is karma calling”, Girish Johar, a producer and trade analyst, told Al Jazeera. “These very production houses nurtured, pampered and patronised these so-called film critics – these people with no relevance, no experience”, he said.

Karan Johar did not respond to a detailed questionnaire from Al Jazeera.

Bollywood has been struggling for the past six to seven years as most of its ambitious, big-budget films have flopped. The top-grossing films in that period came from Southern production houses and directors. But instead of putting its resources into making better films, Bollywood has been investing in creating the illusion that all is well.

“A lot of people who want perception to be managed do these kinds of things. The entire ecosystem makes money, not that it changes a film’s fortunes in terms of the box office”, the senior YRF executive cited above said. “YRF doesn’t do that]pay for reviews] because then good money chases bad money. ]And] once you play that game, you are in that game”.

About two weeks after Jigra’s release, Karan Johar sold a 50 percent stake in Dharma Productions to Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, for 10 billion rupees ($116m). Several other production houses in Bollywood are also looking to sell stakes in their companies to raise funds.

Karan Johar
Indian director and filmmaker, Karan Johar, barely recovered a third of the amount spent on making Jigra, which was a big flop]File: &nbsp, Waleed Zein/Anadolu via Getty Images]

Bollywood and the changing business of films

India, the world’s second-oldest film industry, is also the world’s biggest producer of films. It generates a gross revenue of nearly 200 billion rupees ($2.2bn) from the 1, 700-1, 800 films it produces every year in about 20 languages. Only a 10th of these are Bollywood films. Yet it is Bollywood’s over-the-top melodramas that don’t just contribute the largest share of revenue but have a fanatical fan base across the world, making it India’s formidable soft power.

Based in Mumbai – India’s financial capital that gets its ‘ city of dreams ‘ epithet from the Hindi language film industry – Bollywood spawned an ancillary universe of film magazines, journalists, photographers, public relations and marketing firms that glamorise showbiz and feed Indians ‘ insatiable curiosity about films and film stars.

Throughout the 1960s, ‘ 70s and ‘ 80s, when glossy film magazines dominated newsstands, Bollywood movies would run in large single-screen theatres for months, their success measured in silver and golden jubilees (25 and 50 weeks, respectively).

But behind the razzle-dazzle of big stars, blockbuster hits and overnight stardom, lurked insecurities, fragile egos, jealousies and rivalries. Bollywood always had camps and cliques, and gossip swirled occasionally about money changing hands. But in those days, it was restricted to actors, directors and producers handing envelopes with petty cash to lowly-paid film journalists as a “convenience fee” to nudge for better coverage.

This changed in the early 2000s.

In 2003, two years after the Indian government granted “industry” status to the film industry, making way for institutional money, The Times of India, one of the world’s largest circulated English-language daily newspapers, launched MediaNet, which began selling newspaper stories on films, film stars, fashion, lifestyle and events for a price.

This paid news model – at a time when multiplexes were replacing single-screen theatres, and the window for films to recover money was becoming smaller – proved lucrative. Soon, several other newspapers had their own versions of MediaNet.

“It became very organised. In several newspapers, magazines and their online digital avatars, you could not get]any write-up related to a movie] 10-20 days before and after a film’s release”, unless you paid for it, said a film publicist who, like many quoted in this article, requested anonymity.

Paid articles in some of India’s top publications usually cost 20 to 50 percent more than what the publication would charge for an advertisement. Publications are required to differentiate paid stories from regular news by adding disclaimers and distinct formatting to avoid misleading readers. But the disclaimers are not always obvious, especially when it’s about entertainment and Bollywood news.

Bollywood reviews
The fate of a Bollywood movie is sealed within the first week of its release in theatres]File: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]

Last year, Bollywood released 170-180 films, including many big-budget ones with its top stars. Most films arrived with a lot of hype and gushy reviews. But only four – all horror films – were bonafide hits.

“If Stree 2, Munjya, Shaitan and Bhool Bhulaiya 3 had not worked, 2024 would have been a year of mourning”, Sanjay Mehta, a film exhibitor and distributor, told Al Jazeera.

The dilemma for Bollywood is that while the cost of making films has increased, the avenues to recover the money have shrunk.

About 60 percent of a film’s revenue comes from domestic theatres. The fate of a movie is sealed in the first week and that’s the window to recover their money.

Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Disney and others, which used to buy films based on their star cast or director, changed that system in 2024 after Bollywood films they had bought for large sums ended up as box office duds.

“Streamers now buy digital rights after a film releases theatrically. So when your film bombs, it’s not just the theatrical business that is affected, but also the amount of money that you get from streamers. The stakes have become much higher for a film to perform well in its first weekend”, a senior film critic told Al Jazeera.

Komal Nahata, a veteran film trade analyst and critic, says he charges 60, 000 rupees to 70, 000 rupees ($700- $800) for one social media post. “If it’s a bulk deal for a film’s promotion, say a package of 14-15 posts, then the charge can range from 500, 000 rupees to 700, 000 rupees ($6, 000- $8, 000)”, he told Al Jazeera.

Nahata inherited Film Information, a trade magazine, from his father, but shut down the print edition and went digital just before COVID hit the world. Earlier, he says, he used to charge for advertisements and now he charges for social media posts that he refers to as “advertising”, differentiating them in theory from his other posts. But in appearance, there is nothing that distinguishes his paid posts from the unpaid ones that, he claims, are “unbiased”.

“You may have spent]5 million rupees] on advertising, but if the film is not good, I will write that it is not good … Reviews, whether good, bad or ugly, are a service to my readers”, he said and added that he was paid to tweet about Jigra, but called it “depressing and monotonous” in his review.

“But many PR agencies speak with these so-called trade analysts and reviewers. There is a tacit understanding. …They will give the film 4 stars, 4.5 stars and the packet]of cash] reaches them. It’s disgusting”, Nahata said.

Al Jazeera sent questionnaires to all the 31 news organisations, social media influencers, trade analysts, critics, and entertainment portals listed in the rate cards we reviewed. Only two responded.

The Economic Times, India’s leading business newspaper, said, “As part of the Bennett, Coleman &amp, Co Ltd]BCCL] group, which owns multiple publications catering to various reader segments, certain other publications and supplements may carry advertorials, entertainment industry-related content, and promotional features. However, the specific publication you have mentioned – The Economic Times – does not carry any paid features as alleged in your email”.

Entrepreneur India, a business magazine, said that it does not charge celebrities or their agencies for stories.

This journalist has been a film critic for about 15 years and was approached once by a PR firm to “collaborate” on a film’s review and was asked what it would cost them for the review.

Feeding this ‘ monster ‘

“Salman Khan is saying that his film #Tiger3 is]a] flop because of me. If I die in any circumstances in police station or in jail, you all should know that it’s murder”, Kamaal R Khan, a self-styled film trade analyst and critic, tweeted on December 25, 2023, when he was arrested at the Mumbai airport in a defamation case.

It wasn’t his first arrest, nor the first defamation case against him.

In 2008, Khan, better known by his initials KRK, wrote, produced and starred in Deshdrohi (Traitor), one of the worst Bollywood films. About two years later, he abandoned acting to become a Bollywood troll on social media.

KRK, who flits between Dubai and Mumbai, would routinely abuse actors, calling some “oldies”, drug addicts, “two-rupee people”]worthless], and trash films in the most obnoxious terms to his more than 11 million followers.

In October 2016, two big films were to be released in the much coveted Diwali weekend – Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (O Heart, It Is Difficult), produced and directed by Karan Johar, and Shivaay, produced, directed by and starring Ajay Devgn.

About a month before the films released, Devgn shared an audio clip of a conversation in which KRK spoke of receiving 2.5 million rupees ($28, 865) from Johar to criticise Devgn’s film, a charge that Johar said was beneath him to dignify with a response.

“Kamaal R Khan got out of control because the film industry allowed him to”, a senior film critic told Al Jazeera. “He would be called to press shows and be treated as a VIP. Several directors and actors, including]Bollywood superstar] Amitabh Bachchan, would repost his reviews and promote his stuff. He got legitimacy from the film industry because they’re all willing to prop you up when you’re pulling someone else down”, he added.

KRK’s celebrity status and clout in Bollywood made his toxicity a template and revenue model for other social media influencers and YouTubers.

In February 2024, Vidyut Jamwal, 44, an action hero of B-grade Bollywood thrillers, was promoting his forthcoming film, Crakk, when he called out Sumit Kadel, a self-styled social media film critic and trade analyst.

“Asking for a bribe is a crime and giving one is a crime too. My crime is not giving? So every time you praise someone, we know the criminal”, he tweeted, tagging Kadel, who had blocked him. Kadel denied demanding money.

Five months later in July, the makers of the six-billion-rupee ($69m) sci-fi film Kalki 2898 AD, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone, served a legal notice to Kadel and another trade analyst Rohit Jaiswal for alleging on social media that the filmmakers were reporting fake box office numbers.

“The fact is that the film industry fed this monster. They created these influencers, they created people that they could buy off”, the veteran acclaimed director said.

KRK, Kadel and Jaiswal did not respond to questions from Al Jazeera.

‘ Treat those who charge to write positive stories as billboards ‘

Prabhat Choudhary, 45, credited with some of the biggest and most successful film campaigns, is often referred to as Bollywood’s Chief Strategy Officer. The CEO of Spice PR, Bollywood’s leading marketing firm, Choudhary’s client list includes Bollywood’s A-listers whom he advises on image building, branding, social media engagement and what to say on contentious topics like #MeToo. His company, Spice, is also well-known in Bollywood for buying reviews.

“Spice guys are so brazen that now they send emails saying we would like to collaborate on reviews”, a veteran director told Al Jazeera.

A PR agent who works regularly with Spice PR told Al Jazeera that they routinely ask him if reviews can be padded. “They call journalists and ask, ‘ Did you like the film? ‘ If you say it was good, they will pick up money on your behalf from the producer, actor”. This money may or may not be passed on to the critic.

In August last year, the buzz ahead of the release of a spy thriller starring a leading young actress was that the film was not going to do well. According to an industry insider, Choudhury called the actress and asked for one million rupees ($11, 000) to pay for some good reviews. She asked him for the critics ‘ names and the amounts he would pay the individuals. “He said, ‘ No, I can’t do that, because this is our relationship with them, ‘” the industry insider told Al Jazeera.

The actress eventually decided not to pay for the reviews.

Spice PR and Choudhary did not respond to questions from Al Jazeera.

The practice of buying film reviews and paying for positive stories is so normalised and pervasive in Bollywood that recently in a podcast interview Taapsee Pannu, another young Bollywood actress, recalled how leading star Shah Rukh Khan convinced her otherwise when she expressed misgivings about paying to get positive articles.

“He told me to treat those who charge to write positive stories as ‘ billboards’. ‘ Just as you pay for billboards, you pay them, ‘ he told me”, she said on ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash.

Shah Rukh Khan did not respond to questions from Al Jazeera.

‘ Alternate reality ‘

Bollywood is not alone in wanting fake praise. It’s a malice common to showbiz across the world.

In 2005, Sony Pictures paid $1.5m to theatregoers in the US as compensation after it was reported that marketing executives at its subsidiary, Columbia Pictures, had created a fictitious reviewer, David Manning of Ridgefield Press, who consistently wrote good reviews of their films.

In 2022, the Golden Globes awards were cancelled for multiple reasons including revelations that its members, who had nominated Netflix’s Emily in Paris for a couple of awards, were taken on a paid holiday in 2019 to Paris by the show’s creator, Paramount Network.

Bollywood may not have had a David Manning, but sometimes the pursuit of positive reviews has had embarrassing outcomes.

In the summer of 2023, T-Series, a family-owned film production house and music label with a net worth of 100 billion rupees ($1.15bn), released Adipurush (First Man), a film that cost seven billion rupees ($80m) and reimagined the Hindu mythological epic Ramayan in a terribly tacky way.

Most independent critics and viewers panned it for its crass dialogue and clumsy computer-generated imagery. But among the critics, several media groups and reviewers praised the film, giving it a 4-star rating and even calling it a “magnum opus”. It was impossible to tell what was real or paid for.

Rumours started circulating that its team messaged several popular account holders on X to take down negative posts about the film, offering money to post positive reviews. Some of these handles posted the messages that were purportedly sent on behalf of T-Series.

“We are living in The Truman Show. It’s all alternate reality, all very dystopian”, Hansal Mehta, a critically acclaimed Bollywood director, told Al Jazeera. “PR has become paid relations, not public relations. You don’t know what is good, what is bad, what is right, what is wrong. And films are unable to sustain any kind of business because nothing is organic any more”.

Adipurush was a massive flop.

A T-Series spokesperson told Al Jazeera that “paying to alter perception is not a practice we follow”.

“They]Bollywood producers and actors] manipulate box office figures, fudge reviews. Bollywood is not]just] digging its grave. It’s standing in its grave and won’t stop digging”, Bansal, the film distributor, said.

Some movie producers are starting to take a stand. Last year, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, a film producers ‘ association filed a court case seeking a three-day ban on movie reviews on social media after a film’s release in theatres.

They claimed that the business of at least three big-budget films starring three superstars – Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2, Suriya’s Kanguva and Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan, whose cumulative budget was $110m – was impacted because of “tasteless” and negative reviews on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and X.

The court rejected the plea but asked the government and YouTube to respond with steps to regulate film criticism.

In Bollywood, many agree that Johar may have taken the first step towards putting an end to at least the business of buying positive reviews, but they also doubt if Dharma Productions would stick to it.

Ex-Olympic champion Jones quits taekwondo for boxing

Rex Features

Wales ‘ double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones is switching sports and has taken up boxing.

The 31-year-old says she is “dreaming big” as she intends to become a two-sport world champion.

Jones has been boxing for two months and is training with former professional boxer Stephen Smith in a move she believes is unprecedented as she eyes a career in the paid ranks.

“It is nerve-wracking. Some days I wake up and think ‘ am I absolutely crazy? ‘” Jones told BBC Breakfast.

Jade Jones kicking Miljana Reljikj in the the head Getty Images

‘ I’ve learned straight away it’s not like being Rocky ‘

Jones ‘ switch is sure to raise eyebrows, having competed for two decades in a sport where kicking your opponent is the name of the game and she admits her decision did come out of the blue.

“I don’t know what gave me the idea, I was sat in my kitchen and thought ‘ I’ll try boxing’, my family all think I’m crazy, but people who know me know it is inside me, I love to have a fight and a scrap”, she said.

“People can follow my journey, the good, the bad and the ugly. Can I get to the top? Will I fail?

Jones admits she has faced a huge culture shock as she has learned about the” sweet science “of boxing.

” Boxing is arguably the hardest sport in the world, but I am up for the challenge, I want to give it a go, “she said.

” Technique is the hardest thing to learn. There are so many little factors to it. I started wading in, but it’s all about timing and being patient.

“I’ve learned straight away it’s not like being Rocky, you can’t just get in there and blast away.

Jade Jones kissing her Olympic gold medal in 2016 Getty Images

Taekwondo career over for double Olympic champion

One of Wales ‘ most successful Olympians, Jones admits there is a degree of sadness at giving up taekwondo, having represented Team GB at four Olympics and having won two gold medals, as well as winning a World Championship.

Jones became the youngest Team GB Olympic gold medallist when she sensationally won gold at her first attempt, as a 19-year-old at the 2012 London Games and held on to her crown four years later in Rio de Janeiro.

Disappointment followed at the 2020 Tokyo Games which she later described as the” biggest low “of her career.

At Paris 2024, Jones ‘ bid for Olympic history ended in early defeat in the taekwondo -57kg first round.

She was bidding to become the first three-time Olympic champion in the sport’s history and defeat left Jones” devastated”.

Jones lost to Macedonia’s Miljana Reljikj on the number of registered hits, used as a tie-breaker after three even rounds.

Jones – whose Paris build-up had been overshadowed by the controversy of a missed drugs test, but was later cleared by the UK Anti-Doping Agency – has now chosen to step away from the sport she loves.

” My family have been a little bit sad about me giving up taekwondo, “she added.

” I’ve never used my hands. After 20 years of using my feet I am switching it up.

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‘ My first instinct was why? ‘

Jones ‘ trainer Smith, who twice boxed for a world title, admits he was initially sceptical about Jones ‘ boxing ambitions.

“My first instinct was why? Why would someone who kicks with both feet get into a sport where you use your hands”, he said.

“I wasn’t doubting her, but I was confused. I don’t think it’s ever happened before, I don’t know anyone who has come over from taekwondo.

Analysis: 5 Live boxing’s Steve Bunce

Jade Jones and Stephen ‘ Swifty ‘ Smith is a terrific boxing partnership.

Jones is an aggressive, competitive fighter in taekwondo and she will need an old-school boxing coach to help with her transition.

Smith, a former British champion and one of the four fighting Smith brothers from the Rotunda club In Liverpool, is a calm head in the gym and corner, Jones will need that as she forgets her kicks and perfects her hooks.

The initial transition will not be difficult, but turning Jones into a genuine contender will take time. Jones has good feet, fast hands and, as a world-class fighter, she has great awareness.

The fairy tale will mostly be conducted behind closed doors at the gym in long days of sparring and boring repetition, Jones will need to slow down, pick her punches and react to getting hit and hit and hit.

Swifty will insist that she” shapes up “well before letting her apply for a British licence to fight, the British Boxing Board will not just grant her a licence based on her glory in another sport. She will need to display the basics, learn boxing balance and simple punches – that might be frustrating for her, all crossover athletes want to run before they can walk.

Related topics

  • Taekwondo
  • Wales Sport
  • Paris 2024 Olympics
  • Boxing

Dupont v Gibson-Park – the intriguing game within a game

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  • 232 Comments

Men’s Six Nations: Ireland v France

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Saturday, 8 March Kick-off: 14: 15 GMT

Peruse Ireland and France’s line-ups for Saturday’s potential Six Nations title decider and you’ll find no shortage of instantly compelling head-to-head battles.

Caelan Doris v Gregory Alldritt pits two of the world’s best number eights against one another, Andrew Porter v Uini Atonio will be an engrossing scrum-time tussle, while powerhouse Irish centre Bundee Aki will meet his match in Yoram Moefana.

But naturally, most eyes are drawn to the battle of the scrum-halves.

In Antoine Dupont, France have a generational talent. A world player of the year in both the 15s and sevens codes, an Olympic gold medallist and a poster boy for his sport, Dupont has gleefully exhausted superlatives in recent years.

His otherworldly gifts even moved his Toulouse team-mates to refer to him as ‘ the Martian’, Emmanuel Meafou revealed last year.

Dupont’s worthy adversary on Saturday is Jamison Gibson-Park. ‘ Jamo ‘ to his team-mates, he is Ireland’s unflappable metronome and the frontrunner to wear nine for the British and Irish Lions in Australia this summer.

“Yeah, it will be interesting”, said Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby.

“Two fabulous players at the peak of their game. There are a number of individual battles across the teams, but that one will be pretty special”.

This will not be the first time Gibson-Park and Dupont have crossed paths, of course. They have twice met in the Champions Cup, including last year’s final when Dupont’s Toulouse beat Gibson-Park’s Leinster in extra time.

They have met three times in the Six Nations, although not since 2022 (Gibson-Park was injured in 2023 while Dupont skipped last year’s championship).

Dupont chasing more Test silverware

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This is a hugely important game for 28-year-old Dupont and France. For a player regarded by some as the greatest of all time, a single Six Nations title – in 2022 – is an underwhelming return.

He does not lack emotional ammunition heading to Dublin. In 2023, not even his herculean try-saving tackle on Mack Hansen could stop Ireland’s charge to the Grand Slam.

Later that year, France’s home World Cup campaign ended in the quarter-finals. With his Olympic debut on the horizon, Dupont sat out last year’s Six Nations as Les Bleus again finished second to the Irish. He led Toulouse to the Champions Cup in May, but craves more silverware at Test level.

Considering his Top 14 commitments are likely to rule him out of facing the All Blacks in the summer, the next couple of weeks takes on even greater significance as he leads France’s bid to shift the Six Nations balance of power back to Paris.

Reassuringly for France head coach Fabien Galthie, Dupont has shone since his sevens sojourn.

Fresh from scoring four tries in as many Champions Cup pool games for Toulouse, he sparkled on his Six Nations return.

Dupont’s assist for Theo Attissogbe’s try launched a 43-0 rout over Wales, his dead-eyed cross-kick encapsulating the decision-making and accuracy that helps set him apart.

He did, however, endure a rare off-night in the defeat by England. He was well shackled by the home side’s defence and was not immune to the handling errors that derailed the French cause, dropping a Thomas Ramos pass when an opening try seemed a certainty.

But as the greats often do, he bounced back, masterfully orchestrating a French attack that scored 11 tries against Italy in Rome.

He even bagged himself a couple, his first Six Nations tries since the Grand Slam-clinching win over England in 2022.

France missed Dupont last year, but he has been at the centre of this year’s title bid, his eight direct try involvements (two tries, six assists) bettered only by his team-mate Louis Bielle-Biarrey (four tries, five assists).

Gibson-Park has come a long way

Antoine Dupont v Jamison Gibson-Park graphic showing their key stats from the 2025 Six NationsGetty Images

While Dupont is a global superstar, Gibson-Park prefers to stay away from the spotlight. Unfortunately for him, he is too good to remain in the background.

It hasn’t always been this way.

After giving up on representing New Zealand, Gibson-Park moved to Leinster from the Hurricanes in 2016. He qualified for Ireland under the residency rule in 2019 but was left out of Joe Schmidt’s World Cup squad.

He had to bide his time at Leinster, too, behind Luke McGrath, who started the 2018 and 2019 Champions Cup finals.

Ireland coach Andy Farrell, however, recognised his potential, handing him his Test debut in October 2020.

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Having missed last summer’s Test series in South Africa through injury, Gibson-Park has elevated his game. In November’s defeat by New Zealand, he was one of a select few in green who showed up, and was key in the victories over Argentina and Australia.

He has been even better in the Six Nations, delivering a series of game-changing moments for Ireland in recent weeks.

In his player-of-the-match display against England, he scored a crucial try to jolt Ireland out of a sluggish start, brilliantly side-stepping Freddie Steward after James Lowe had shrugged off Alex Mitchell.

He was arguably even better as Ireland powered past Scotland in Murrayfield.

His superb, try-saving tackle on Blair Kinghorn – after sprinting more than half the length of the field – demonstrated his defensive awareness, speed and ability to read the play as he stopped the hosts cutting Ireland’s lead to two points.

In Cardiff – where he again won player of the match – he showed how his kicking helps Ireland open teams up. With Ireland trailing Wales 18-13 in the second half, it was his pinpoint cross-kick that allowed Lowe to palm the ball into Jamie Osborne’s path for a crucial try.

Jamison Gibson-Park tackles Antoine Dupont during the 2024 Champions Cup final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Getty Images

Gibson-Park is softly spoken in front of the media but his leadership should not be overlooked, either.

After Sexton’s retirement, he has helped guide untested fly-halves Jack Crowley and Prendergast through their debut Six Nations campaigns.

To win in Dublin and take control of the championship, both sides need every facet operating with optimum efficiency.

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FG Designates Simon Ekpa, 16 Others As ‘Terrorism Financiers’

The Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NSC) has designated controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, and 16 entities as alleged terrorism financiers in the country.

According to a document obtained from the committee on Thursday, those named on the list include Simon Ekpa, Godstime Promise Iyare, Francis Mmaduabuchi, John Onwumere, Chikwuka Eze, Edwin Chukwuedo, Chinwendu Owoh, Ginika Orji, Awo Uchechukwu, and Mercy Ebere Ifeoma Ali.

Others are Ohagwu Juliana, Eze Okpoto, Nwaobi Chimezie, Ogomu Kewe, Igwe Ka Ala Enterprises, Seficuvi Global Company, and Lakurawa Group.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Commends Finland For Intervening In Simon Ekpa’s Case

The list was approved by the President upon the recommendation of the Attorney General of the Federation.

“The Nigeria Sanctions Committee held a meeting on March 6, 2024, where specific individuals and entities were recommended for designation following their involvement with terrorism financing”, the document read.

“The Attorney General of the Federation, with the approval of the President, has thereupon designated the following individuals and entities to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List.

” In accordance with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, you are required to:

“(a) Immediately identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets, and any other economic resources belonging to the designated persons in your possession and report the same to the Sanctions Committee.

” (b) Report to the Sanctions Committee any assets frozen or actions taken in compliance with the prohibition requirements.

“(c) Immediately file a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU for further analysis of the financial activities of such individuals or entities.

” (d) Report as an STR to the NFIU all cases of name matching in financial transactions prior to or after receipt of this list. “

The committee ordered the immediate freezing of bank accounts and financial instruments associated with the listed individuals and entities across multiple banks, payment platforms, and financial institutions.

” Freezing measures should be extended to all accounts associated with the designated subjects. For designated entities, this should include accounts linked to their signatories and directors to ensure comprehensive enforcement of the sanctions regime, “the document added.

Weak-Sounding Pope Releases Audio Message From Hospital

Pope Francis recorded and released an audio message on Thursday thanking those who have been praying for his recovery, his voice breathless as he nears three weeks in hospital with pneumonia.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the Square, I accompany you from here”, Francis said in a message broadcast in St Peter’s Square.

“May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you”, he said, taking laboured breaths as he spoke in his native Spanish, with some words fading away into nothing.

READ ALSO: &nbsp, Pope Francis Resting, Stable As Nears Three Weeks In Hospital

It was the first time the world has heard Francis’s voice since the 88-year-old was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14.

Pilgrims have been gathering in St Peter’s Square every evening to pray for the pope’s recovery. The hundreds of people there on Thursday applauded when they heard his message.

The Vatican said earlier Thursday that the Argentine, head of the worldwide Catholic Church since 2013, is in a “stable” condition.

There had been no repeat of Monday’s respiratory failure, it said, and the pope’s blood work “remained stable”.

Francis continued with his breathing exercises and physiotherapy, did not have a fever, and managed to do a bit of work in both the morning and afternoon, it said.

The Vatican has been providing twice daily updates on the pope’s health, a morning one on how the night went, and an evening medical bulletin.

But on Thursday it said that “in view of the stability of the clinical picture, the next medical bulletin will be released on Saturday”.

Nonetheless, “the doctors are still maintaining a reserved prognosis”, it said, meaning they will not say how they expect his condition to evolve.

For the last three nights Francis — who had part of a lung removed as a young man — has worn an oxygen mask to help him sleep.

On Thursday morning, as on the previous day, he switched to a less onerous nasal cannula — a plastic tube tucking into his nostrils — which provides high-flow oxygen, a Vatican source said.

Francis missed the formal Ash Wednesday celebrations in Rome marking the start of Lent, but took part in a blessing in his private suite on the 10th floor of the Gemelli.

The leader of the world’s almost 1.4 billion Catholics has not been seen in public since his hospitalisation — the longest of his papacy.

Nor has the Vatican issued any photos, although Francis has published several texts.

‘ Thoughts and prayers ‘

During previous hospitalisations, the pope appeared on the Gemelli balcony for his weekly Angelus prayer at noon on Sundays.

But he has missed the last three, and no announcement has yet been made about whether he will make an appearance this weekend.

The Vatican confirmed Thursday that senior cardinal Michael Czerny would stand in for the pope and lead the mass this weekend marking the first Sunday of Lent.

The mass was also part of celebrations for the Jubilee 2025, a Holy Year led by the pope, dedicated this weekend to volunteers.

The Holy See said Thursday the event “takes on an even deeper meaning, as the thoughts and prayers of all the brothers and sisters turn to the Holy Father and the experience he is going through”.

Pilgrims will pray in front of the hospital on Saturday, it said, as well-wishers have done since Francis was admitted.

The pope was initially diagnosed with bronchitis but it developed into pneumonia in both lungs, sparking alarm across the globe.

On February 22, he suffered a “prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis” and on February 28 had “an isolated crisis of bronchospasm” — a tightening of the muscles that line the airways in the lungs.

On Monday, Francis “experienced two episodes of acute respiratory failure, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm”, according to the Vatican.

Francis’s health has regularly led to speculation, particularly among his critics, as to whether he could resign like his predecessor, Benedict XVI.