Throughout his career, Dale Bhagwagar, alongside the Dale Bhagwagar Media Group and its divisions — Right Publicity, BollywoodPR.in, Hybrid Media, and others — revolutionised the Bollywood PR industry by introducing pioneering practices and trends, forever changing the face, outlook, and vision of the entire Bollywood PR machinery. His innovations reshaped the industry’s dynamics and set new standards, with many of his trailblazing milestones remaining unmatched by other publicists or agencies.

Here’s a look at some of Dale Bhagwagar’s groundbreaking firsts:

1997 – 2000

Launched Bollywood’s first PR agency

In the nineties, Bollywood relied solely on independent publicists. However, on Saturday, 3 May 1997, Dale Bhagwagar became the first publicist to launch a Bollywood PR agency, bringing organisation and structure to the entertainment PR industry in India. For this pioneering move, the Indian media widely recognised him as ‘The Father of Bollywood PR.’

Right Publicity, a division of the Dale Bhagwagar Media Group, was launched in conjunction with an event called Fling 97, for which Dale handled the media publicity. Fling 97 was hosted by the Indian Navy and took place on the top deck of the then-decommissioned warship INS Vikrant, a British-built aircraft carrier with a notable place in history. For the uninitiated, this warship played a significant role in India’s 1971 victory over Pakistan, particularly during the airstrikes and naval blockade of East Pakistan.

Trivia: During this event, Dale got lost not once but twice while exploring the various decks of this massive warship. You can read that amusing story HERE.

Launched the ‘world’s first free-of-copyright website’

Dale Bhagwagar became the first PR professional in the entertainment industry to adapt to the web, launching the ‘world’s first free-of-copyright website’ for his PR agency, Right Publicity, in 1998. The website was inaugurated by veteran publicist Bunny Reuben, and later, a revamped version was launched by the prolific filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, known for hard-hitting films like ‘Page 3’ and ‘Heroine,’ which exposed the dark secrets of the media and the film industry.

The ‘free-of-copyright’ tag on the agency’s website meant that all content, including news releases, profiles, interviews, and client images, could be freely picked and used by any media or social media platform. Dale ensured that the website only used high-resolution images that could be directly lifted and used by the media. To facilitate this, he incorporated special clauses in his legal agreements with PR clients, who, in turn, secured permissions from the professional photographers who clicked the images. This practice worked in favour of the media, which no longer had to hesitate before using content from the PR agency’s website.

Trivia: Before transitioning to PR, Dale was a journalist. Way back in 1996, he launched ‘DEN’ (Dale’s Entertainment News), India’s first entertainment magazine on the internet, at a time when most people in the country hadn’t even seen what the internet actually looked like. This pioneering move also set the digital stage for entertainment news websites before they existed in India.

2001 – 2010

Bollywood’s first crisis management specialist

Dale Bhagwagar was the first Bollywood publicist to handle crisis management for celebrities. Beginning with Shilpa Shetty during her stint on the international reality show ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ in the UK, he went on to handle crisis management for 20 contestants of India’s No. 1 reality show ‘Bigg Boss.’ He also managed crisis situations for multiple Bollywood stars and even for a godwoman and godmen, including the highly controversial Swami Nithyananda.

Brought agile and tactical innovation to PR

Dale Bhagwagar is the first Bollywood publicist to introduce unconventional and high-impact PR strategies. He has also been among the first in India to openly discuss these dynamic approaches in interviews and guest lectures at colleges. Drawing inspiration from historical guerrilla tactics, he often likens his PR methods to the strategic agility of Maratha warrior Shivaji, who utilised specialised task forces to outmanoeuvre larger armies.

First Bollywood PR to set up a commercial office

‘First commercial office’!?! Yes, this does sound strange, but its true. At a time when Bollywood’s PR industry was dominated by work-from-home independent publicists, Dale Bhagwagar set up the first PR agency in Bollywood with a dedicated commercial office space. He employed media managers and office assistants, bringing a more professional and structured work culture to Bollywood PR.

Pioneered the trend of ‘celebrity spotting’

When Dale Bhagwagar’s PR clients were involved in controversies, he would accompany them to places like local police stations in Mumbai, the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell, and even the National Commission for Women (NCW) office in New Delhi to file complaints. With pre-prepared typed complaints, he ensured these visits were quick and effective, as officials sometimes hesitated or delayed accepting complaints due to reluctance or lethargy.

Before heading to these places, Dale informed the entire television media and all freelance photographers about the time and location of the celebrity’s visit. This strategy turned these complaint filings into staged public appearances, generating extensive media coverage. His calculated approach ensured that his clients remained in the public eye without appearing to seek attention directly. Over the years, other PR professionals adapted this technique, attracting paparazzi at airports, gyms, restaurants, and even during puppy walks, leading to what became known as ‘celebrity spotting.’

Managing negative reviews

When a negative review threatened his clients’ image, Dale Bhagwagar intervened swiftly. In a 2007 incident, he directly altered a film review written by leading journalist Subhash K. Jha. Suspecting the journalist of being vindictive towards his client, former Miss India Nikita Anand, in a review of ‘Dil Dosti Etc,’ Dale contacted the owner of a prominent website and requested some action about the review. The website complied and Dale later mailed and informed the reviewer about the change made in his review.

When confronted about this from a journalistic ethics point of view, Dale unapologetically justified his actions, stating: “Mr Jha has a history of taking out his personal grudge on actors, other journalists, and PRs… so I got it changed. What’s the big deal?”

The incident sparked significant industry reactions, with notable figures like Mahesh Bhatt, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Anupam Kher expressing concerns over PR interference in journalism. It also earned Dale the nickname ‘Hitler’ in industry circles, with some media professionals noting that he was already dictating news pegs, stories, quotes, headlines, and even story placements in the media. His defensive strategies helped maintain his clients’ public personas and protect their box office potential, but they also set a precedent for PR maneuvers in critical journalism. Read the details HERE.

Strategic media access management: Part 1

In late 2007, Dale Bhagwagar became the first publicist to cut off direct celebrity access to the media. He implemented this strategy to maintain PR control over stars who were being hounded by certain journalists fishing for controversies and to prevent his clients from being misquoted. His clients are strictly instructed — and often bound by contract — to route all media interactions through him. Upon signing up, every client, whether established or new, is provided with a standard message to send to journalists if contacted directly. The message directs journalists to reach out to Dale for approval before any interaction. This calculated inaccessibility increases the perceived value of his clients while allowing complete control over their public image.

Dale faced significant resistance from certain media groups in the early and late 2000s for this approach. However, he stood his ground, and over time, all major media houses and journalists fell in line, realising that if they wanted well-structured, intelligent stories, they had to work with him. It took nearly a decade for other publicists to adopt this trend, but they eventually acknowledged its importance in an industry where narrative control is paramount. Today, most PR professionals hold exclusive access to their clients, requiring journalists to go through them for interviews, quotes, or any other media requirements.

Strategic media access management: Part 2

Dale Bhagwagar has established a strict control mechanism over media access to friendly journalists at events. A key aspect of his strategy is a selective invitation process for events. He personally ensures that invitations carry the specific names of journalists, reporters, news media publications, freelance photographers, and TV correspondents.

In the digital era, he has introduced customised invites with the invitee’s name, making attendance exclusive. At event entry points, bouncers are instructed to allow only those on the list, maintaining tight control over media presence. This isolation technique has successfully discouraged negative coverage and reinforced his influence within the industry.

Leveraging pictures for narrative consistency

One of Dale Bhagwagar’s more strategic tactics has been controlling photographic content to reinforce his hold over the written narrative. By ensuring that only select images — captured by trusted photographers or provided directly by his team — were distributed to the media, he shaped how his clients were visually represented. This careful curation prevented the use of unflattering or controversial images that could disrupt the intended messaging.

By maintaining authority over both images and text, Dale strengthened his ability to shape public perception, ensuring that every aspect of his clients’ media presence aligned with the narrative he meticulously crafted.

Bollywood’s only spokesperson

Dale Bhagwagar has mastered the art of controlling the narrative by doubling up as a spokesperson for all his PR clients. So much so that he has positioned himself as Bollywood’s only recognised spokesperson. Whenever his clients have faced controversy, he has not only acted as their publicist but has also stepped in like a knight in shining armour, addressing the issues himself in the news media — be it in print or on television. This strategic approach has ensured that his clients maintain their celebrity aura while focusing on their acting careers, leaving him to handle all media-centric controversies and queries.

He has assisted celebrities in managing problematic statements, coordinated campaigns to protect their reputations when necessary, and, in critical situations, even crafted narratives to divert media attention to different stories, deflecting focus from more problematic ones. This method has reinforced the idea that handling the media is the publicist’s responsibility, creating a protective buffer between his clients and the often harsh scrutiny of the press.

2011 – Present

Introduced the concept of ready-made PR content for journalistic ease

Dale Bhagwagar has revolutionised PR by eliminating unpredictable media interactions for his clients. Instead of subjecting them to challenging interviews, he has pioneered the use of pre-written PR content. Journalists receive press releases and full interviews with a request to copy-paste them without changes — not even to the headlines.

A former journalist himself, Dale’s copy-editing has always been immaculate, ensuring that the narrative remains intact while giving the illusion of direct media engagement. His famous instruction to journalists is: “If you cannot improve the copy, please do not change anything.” This method has safeguarded messaging consistency long before AI tools like ChatGPT emerged.

Question vetting

To protect his clients from potential controversies, Dale Bhagwagar has consistently insisted on receiving interview questions in advance and provides “talking points” for interviewers to follow. When necessary, he has even required copy approvals before publication.

Despite this, he encourages journalists to ask challenging questions, believing they offer his clients opportunities to deliver quotable statements and strong headline material.

PR questionnaires at events for ease of doing journalism

For press conferences and media interactions, Dale Bhagwagar has meticulously prepared a set of pre-planned questions, sharing them with select friendly journalists who agree to ask them. Additionally, he has crafted well-structured news releases, strategically distributing them to these journalists to amplify specific narratives about his clients.

By maintaining message consistency across media coverage, he ensures that public interactions remain controlled and aligned with his PR strategies, even amidst controversies.

Although he thoroughly vets journalists before inviting them to events, he does not interrupt interviews when journalists venture into uncomfortable territory — unless absolutely necessary. He believes journalists have the right to conduct interviews based on their thought process, as long as the basic structure has been pre-discussed.

Moved first from email press releases to WhatsApp content dissemination

In 2017, in yet another groundbreaking move, Dale Bhagwagar Media Group became the first PR agency to pivot from the conventional practice of emailing press releases — a method the agency itself had pioneered in the nineties — to sharing media content and disseminating news via WhatsApp. This bold shift not only redefined the speed and reach of PR communication but also set a new industry benchmark by embracing real-time, mobile-first strategies, rendering traditional email press releases and email databases increasingly outdated.

Introduced the ‘remote work’ concept in India’s PR scene

There was a recession in the United States from 2008 to around 2012. This prompted a slowdown in the PR markets in India for a few years, resulting in many layoffs and job cuts. Taking a cue from this, around 2012 Dale Bhagwagar Media Group removed all its staff and appointed campaign-based reps in their place, taking its PR network fully online. The agency introduced the concept of ‘remote work’ to PR in India, a concept that had already been popular in the US for many years. This ‘remote work’ concept worked out exceptionally well for the agency, and it continued to thrive. But the best part came in 2020, when the Coronavirus pandemic shutdown happened and people and agencies—corporate as well as entertainment—were forced to work from home. Since Dale Bhagwagar Media Group had already been accustomed to remote work for eight years prior to the pandemic, it took to the situation like a fish to water. While other agencies struggled to handle assignments, Dale Bhagwagar ended up with triple the number of assignments in the first year of the pandemic, creating a record of sorts. A prominent website even wrote an article about this titled, “The New Abnormal: Bollywood PR legend Dale Bhagwagar getting richer after Corona crisis.”

Guaranteed media placements for PR clients

Unlike traditional PR agencies that only promise to “try” securing organic media placements, Dale Bhagwagar has become the first publicist to guarantee organic coverage across websites. He has also pioneered the practice of assuring a specific number of placements in all organic PR packages offered by Dale Bhagwagar Media Group. Such guarantees remain unheard of in the rest of the PR industry.

First to launch hybrid PR packages

Dale Bhagwagar has introduced the concept of hybrid PR packages in the entertainment industry, combining organic and paid media coverage for maximum impact. He has also established a PR agency called Hybrid Media, specialising in hybrid web PR packages that cover all three categories of news websites — New-Age websites that publish organic content, as well as Veteran and Legacy websites that publish branded content.

Hybrid Media: India’s first hybrid PR agency

Recognising the growing importance of hybrid news — an intelligent mix of organic and paid web placements — in 2021, Dale Bhagwagar launched India’s first hybrid PR agency, Hybrid Media, accessible through its website HybridMedia.in.

Curated reviews and star ratings

Once considered unethical, movie review curation was never openly discussed — until Dale Bhagwagar admitted to curating three-star reviews for deserving clients. He justifies this by highlighting how many Legacy and Veteran websites have long engaged in paid news, allowing articles and placements to be bought. Since editorial media buying is widespread and unregulated, he argues that PR agencies should not lose business when filmmakers seek to influence movie reviews and manage star ratings.

When approached with such requests, he handles them — both through paid platforms and by influencing New-Age websites that publish organic news. “If paid news can thrive, then curated reviews can coexist. No one should be complaining about this,” Dale asserts.

Among the five most famous PR agencies in the world

In 2025, Dale Bhagwagar Media Group was named among the five most famous PR agencies in the world. We were the first to bring structure and professionalism to entertainment publicity in India, and over the years we have worked with more than 300 clients, focusing on film promotion, celebrity image-building and crisis management. Our work and insights have been featured by respected international outlets like The New York Times, BBC, CNN and The Guardian, and we feel humbled to be recognised globally while continuing to represent India on the world PR stage.