Zero is releasing on December 21, and its lead star and producer Shah Rukh Khan is promoting the film wherever he can. He has also been holding special private screenings for some of his close associates in the industry. So fans are quite eager to see what's the first impression these early birds are having about Zero. And so are we, since Zero is a make or break deal for Shah Rukh Khan. After going through a lean phase with back to back duds, Shah Rukh Khan is leaving no stone unturned to make Zero a hit! Zero Controversy: Here's How Shah Rukh Khan's Film Will Alter Scenes Showing 'Kirpan' After Sikh Community Raises Objections Over It.

So while I was scourging for any reviews for Zero, I came across some very bad opinions of the film, posted by influential trade experts like Girish Johar and Raj Bansal, the latter also mentioning that the movie is seeing low occupancy. I also came across a few tweets from popular journalists like Rajeev Masand, Anupama Chopra, Rahul Raut, who have criticised the film. Considering that there was no special screening held for press yet, this was definitely intriguing. 'Zero' Movie Gets a Thumps Up From IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla, Says Shah Rukh Khan's Film Will be a Superhit.

On a closer look, most of these Twitter handles had no blue tick and had very few followers, which means they were recently created. So not only are these handles fake, they are made only to create a negative impression for the film. Check them out below -

Fake ID made in the name of trade expert, Girish Johar.

Fake ID made in the name of distributor, Raj Bansal.

Fake ID made in the name of critic, Anupama Chopra.

Fake ID made in the name of critic and journalist, Rajeev Masand.

A fake id made in the name of Komal Nahta, trade analyst.

The fake handle of freelance journalist, Rahul Raut 

Here's the fake Twitter handle in the name of Mumbai Mirror journo Himesh Mankad - 

Well, not all Twitter handles are creating negativity for Zero. Here's a fake Twitter handle made in the name of trade analyst and critic, Taran Adarsh, calling the movie a 'masterpiece'.

Of course, this is not exactly a new fad as we have seen in the past how fan-clubs of opposing stars try to create a bad impression of a movie just before the release. Seeing how many RT's and likes these fake handles are getting for their tweets, it is a scary situation indeed. Let's hope that Shah Rukh Khan, Aanand L Rai, and the Zero team, moreover Twitter, themselves are making sure to curb these fake handles.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 19, 2018 01:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).