Boney Kapoor slams Indian celebs attending Wimbledon just for photos: '90% of them don’t even know what tennis is all about'

This year, we saw numerous Indian celebrities attending the renowned Wimbledon 2025. While some were praised for genuinely supporting the game, others didn’t sit well with many. One such person is veteran producer Boney Kapoor, who recently stirred up a conversation about the trend of celebrities attending major sporting events not out of passion, but for publicity. In a recent interview, he candidly shared his thoughts on how marketing in the film industry has drastically shifted over the years. Although he didn’t name anyone directly, his comments have sparked widespread speculation.

Boney Kapoor takes a dig at celebs attending Wimbledon

Boney Kapoor appeared on the Game Changers YouTube channel, where he talked about his early days of promoting films with genuine enthusiasm and creativity. He took an example of the 1987 film Mr. India, as he recalled how he brought sports and cinema together in a way that had never been done before.


He shared how Anil Kapoor, dressed as his character Mr. India, went down to the Sharjah cricket ground to do the toss before a match, months ahead of the film’s release. Anil even sat in the commentators' box alongside cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, mixing film promotion with live sports in a unique, organic way. Later, for another promotional stunt, Boney arranged for Anil to land in a helicopter at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium to perform the toss again in full costume.

Unlike today’s celebrity appearances at sporting events, Boney stated that these efforts were rooted in genuine love for cricket. “Now actors will go and sit at Wimbledon just for photo ops. Ninety percent of those people don’t know what tennis is all about, but because their picture is being clicked at such a prestigious event, they go,” he said, taking a clear dig at the current trend of performative fandom.

For the unversed, his daughter Janhvi Kapoor was also one of the Indian celebrities spotted at Wimbledon 2025. She attended the event with her rumoured boyfriend Shikhar Pahariya. Though the couple posed separately, their pictures quickly went viral, drawing the attention of fans and paparazzi alike.

About Janvhi Kapoor's upcoming projects

Earlier this year, Janhvi was also seen at several cricket stadiums promoting her film Mr. and Mrs. Mahi, where she played an aspiring cricketer opposite Rajkummar Rao. On the work front, Janhvi Kapoor is currently seen in Param Sundari alongside Sidharth Malhotra. The film received mixed reviews from the audience and critics alike. She is currently gearing up for the release of her next opposite Varun Dhawan in Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumar, a romantic comedy directed by Shashank Khaitan. The film is slated for release on September 12, 2025.