Read the full article on Film Companion, here: http://www.filmcompanion.in/southern-lights-a-film-critics-open-letter-to-director-ram-baradwaj-rangan/
In which I try to explain why “film appreciation” for Tamil cinema isn’t easy in today’s climate.
In an interview with Cinema Express, director Ram expressed this opinion about critics. While admitting that no art form can grow without criticism/reviews, he said, “The biggest problem with Tamil cinema is that there are no good critics. Writers double as critics. There are observers who comment on a film after watching it, saying whether they liked it or not. There is a lot of ‘popular’ criticism, which acts as a recommendation and says things like ‘the cinematography was beautiful’ or ‘the editing was pacy’. These come with marks or stars. Everyone has their own agenda or political understanding about art. So through the review, the reviewer also reveals who he/she is. Then there are bloggers. There are film buffs. I know when someone is looking at a film as just a story, or writing a review just to create a controversy.”
“But film appreciation is beyond all this. It’s about approaching film as art, as aesthetics. This kind of film appreciation is very rare in Tamil cinema. And it’s practically non-existent in English.” He spoke about what people told him at the Rotterdam film festival, that “the people writing about Tamil cinema in English are very narrow minded. Are there no neutral, democratic critics who can introduce Tamil cinema to the world?’ So if Tamil cinema is like this, it’s because the reviewing culture here is so bad.” I have paraphrased what Ram said, but this is the gist.
I mostly agree with him. Most people here exist somewhere between “reviewer” and “critic.” The kind of art appreciation that Ram (who I think is a very important filmmaker, even if I have my reservations about his films) talks about can happen in two ways – before the film’s release, or after. I want to tell Ram why neither way is feasible in the current scenario.
Continued at the link above.
Copyright ©2018 Film Companion.
Baradwaj Rangan 
bala
March 29, 2018
Did I understand this correct? You are saying you don’t have time and money to watch movies?
And, you say you don’t have time because you are doing what others want, for the sake of money?
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Ratish Ravindran
March 29, 2018
@BR – I think you should create a List of Top 100 Tamil films of all time like the ones that Late Roger Ebert used to make. This is give you the chance to revisit some of the old classics and appreciate the Art or Aesthetics in the movie in granular details like the one you mentioned about Vertigo. In my view, there are only a handful of films made every year in contemporary Indian cinema which elicit such detailed analysis of its film making grammar and artistic style.
The Ask BR segment in your blog is a similar exercise but is channeled towards answering some of the queries from your readers.
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"Original" venkatesh
March 29, 2018
This write-up happens to coincide with a weird time in my life.
Why is there this incessant need for everything to be surface-level ?
There is no depth, no mulling it over, no re-visiting, no stillness to allow something to penetrate your senses.
Its all flash, bang, in the minute, all accelerated to the point of meaningless.
Will any of the films being made today actually have second, third, …. 27 viewings ? Not because the films dont deserve it , (thats a separate question) -., its because todays generation does not know the pleasures of doing so ?
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Rahini David
March 29, 2018
People pay to watch movies, pay to play games but will not consider paying to read reviews, but each individual reader wants to act like the critic’s boss and demand whatever they please.
Reviews minutes after the first show ended? Check. Ability to recall all foreign movies that the current movie possibly referenced? Check. Hero-worship the established hero? Check. Give a leg-up to the rising-star? Say wink-wink things about naughty movies? Check.
To tell the truth, after I watched the #AskBR on Sridevi, I felt that a Video Essay would have been better to showcase what Sridevi achieved. I felt some thing was missing in that #AskBR. But who is going to pay BR for a Video Essay about Sridevi spanning her entire career? Not me and I know it.
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sree
March 29, 2018
Agree with Ram sir. Movie reviews nowadays are just a platform for the reviewers to exhibit their political bias and express their religious or atheistic views.. U will start hating cinema if u follow some of the reviewers.. brangan is an exception..
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ramitbajaj01
March 29, 2018
@bala- I don’t think BR sir is saying he doesn’t have time and money to watch movies. I think he is saying that movies take time to evoke appreciation on most of its parts. I think he is saying that films keep on revealing themselves on subsequent viewings, or that we keep seeing them in a slightly different way in each viewing. I think he is essentially saying that the way good cinema is supported by producers or niche demand, the good reviews are also dependent on the environment surrounding the publishing industry. And he is saying the filmmakers would have to proactively make the environment conducive for the culture of film appreciation to grow and sustain. And more importantly, I think BR sir is speaking not just about himself, he is speaking on behalf of his fellow critics as well. This is a small nudge to make industry out of ‘film appreciation’.
Having said that, I feel that BR sir already writes the kind of review that Ram would like to read. I don’t follow Tamil cinema, so, I don’t know if he has actually read BR sir’s work.
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Venkat Ramanan CS
March 29, 2018
Where can I find the link to Ram’s above-mentioned interview?
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rsylviana
March 29, 2018
BR – In the USA, do all movies have these preview screenings where all kinds of critics are invited too ? Even for mindless entertainers like Knight and Day and cheesy rom-com flicks ? For some reason ,I always thought it was just for the filmstars and industry insiders (excluding critics).
But either way I don’t think the same process would even be considered by our industry since most of our directors and filmfolk just can’t seem to take a single negative criticism about their work. It’s always either ‘What do you know about films and filmmaking to even hold a pen and think about films?’ / ‘A film is like someone’s baby so how dare you call it ugly ?’ / ‘Come do our job better and then earn the right to open your mouth about it’. The milder ones like Maniratnam just shrug it off saying ‘People are not gonna stop writing about our films just because we asked them to so we might as well learn to live with it’. There are very few directors like Venkat Prabhu and C.S. Amudhan who just take it in their stride and can even make a joke or two about it. I’d love to know if I am missing people who do welcome all kinds of criticism though.
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Devarsi Ghosh
March 29, 2018
This comment will probably piss you off unimaginably, Rangan sir.
So, a friend writing copies for the website section of the financial news arm of one of India’s top English-language newspaper was suddenly ordered by his boss to write up the review of a recently released film that was trending wildly on Google, Chartbeat and elsewhere. Now, this guy has never written movie reviews. His critical analysis stops and starts at “This movie sucks” or “This movie rocks.” Petrified, he told his boss, “But sir, I haven’t seen the movie!”
The boss replied, “So what? Who watches the movie and writes a review anyway?”
Then, this guy, at his desk the entire day, went through a bunch of reviews that had already been published, and cobbled up a 500-600 word review, and this went up on the website.
Funnily enough, and sadly as well, it would be tough to figure out from reading this review that this guy didn’t watch the movie at all. Because it was just as good or bad as most movie reviews on web portals where the boss puts a gun on your head and asks you to vomit “something, anything” as soon as possible. In other words, it was “perfectly” bad.
Mind you, that this review went up on a website with serious street-cred. My friend has since quit the place.
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Tina
March 29, 2018
Sorry BR – question. Would it be right to assume that being in a print medium like say the Hindu give you more time and space than say something like FC where the pressure to update is ASAP?
Pardon the ignorance please.
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Madan
March 29, 2018
@ Original Venkatesh: Yeah, this ties in what BR is saying too. I notice this in music too. I wonder how people get through scores of an album in a year. If I really like an album, I will listen to nothing but that album for at least 10-15 days before I am ready to move on. There is no ‘immersion’ left in the process now and accordingly a lot of people also want films that are feel good and smooth and music that is chilled out or whatever. Stuff with real intensity or soul seems to be a little forbidding.
In India, the problem goes back a long way and we have never had much patience with deep appreciation of our films (or even, for that matter, their music). If anything, I would say things are a little better now because of the variety of mediums available. In the 90s, the newspapers did not welcome lengthy reviews. Maybe Hindu did, but they were outliers then as they are now.
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Rohan
March 29, 2018
Agree with the first (Bala’s) comment, are you basically saying there isn’t enough time and money to watch movies and write about them? Is this for all critics or just for yourself BR?
Then, genuine question: How does someone like Namrata Joshi at The Hindu, who for my money manages to stay away from ‘instant’ first past the post reviewing and gives us a thought out piece of film criticism a few days later, manage to do it? Or Sreehari Nair at rediff, who’s come up with some superb stuff in the last year (such as his Angamaly Diaries piece) that surely qualifies as film appreciation.
What are these people doing differently from the ‘typical’ critic BR describes in this article I wonder. Do they (a) review less movies taking more time (quality over quantity basically), or (b) do they depend on something else for their daily bread so that their reviews can be less compromised, or (c) some combination of both (a) and (b)?
Interesting thread.
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sanjana
March 29, 2018
It is not possible to watch every film with the same frame of mind. So we get indifferent reviews, flippant reviews along with well thought out reviews. Just like a good film maker cannot always turnout uniformly good movies.
There will be slips and misses.
Can understand Ram’s frustration. Maybe he wants reviews which understands his thought process.
Critics also have to work under so many constraints. Health, moods, time and boredom. They have to satisfy eager readers who wait for the reviews more than for reviewed films. Who would like to watch a Hate story over Padmaavat, Raid or Hichki? Irrespective of reviews one will watch some movies for star value and other such considerations.
Of course, critics unintentionally break hearts and self esteem of film makers in course of duty.
It is a thankless job. But there are rewards too in the form of adulation from fans.
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Karthik
March 29, 2018
This first past the post concept has crept into every sphere that rather than emphasizing on the processes the outcome becomes the priority. Few people go slow in their lives and many cannot but ultimately the one’s who rush do not do it as a choice but are required to. We are in a period(in a country) where kindergarten school admissions close even before someone is married so nothing to worry about getting a complete understanding of a film which nowadays doesn’t cross a week in cinemas.
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ramitbajaj01
March 29, 2018
@Rohan- I like Namrata’s work too. Before her, there was Anuj, who was great. I think this is the template of The Hindu that they wouldn’t run a Laundry List review. And BR sir’s work also falls in the same template, except that I find his work more personal and deeper. But what Ram is asking for is a more elaborate discussion on different facets of filmmaking, which, BR sir is saying, takes time (and more than one viewing). He also says it needs industry support as well.
And regarding Angamaly Diaries, I guess BR sir’s work in Conversation with Mani Ratnam is also a quintessential film appreciation work. But these things are few and far between. And Ram is asking for more of such things. But BR sir is saying we first need to get the basics right.
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Arjun
March 30, 2018
Well, you make some good points comparing the American scene with the Indian one, but you have to ask even more basic questions. Where are the college programs on film studies in India? Most major US universities (as do European, I presume) has a film studies program, eg. see Yale’s here (https://filmstudies.yale.edu/). Yes our univs offer programs in media studies, but AFAIK there is nothing comparable in pedigree and prestige (to the US ones) as far as cinema is concerned. You can’t expect a Sight and Sound or Film comment, or a Rolling stone to come up in a vaccuum either. It’s not just about money. We simply don’t have (and probably never will) that sort of academic culture in India, so we have to live with Kumudham and Vikatan
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Ravi K
March 30, 2018
The way films Indian films are often reviewed as discrete elements perhaps reflects this rush to get a review out. Just bulletpoints of superficial “observations” about the acting, the editing, the cinematography, the songs, etc. No consideration of the film as a whole. Of course, many films are actually MADE like this. Just a checklist of disparate elements (romance, fights, songs, etc.), with no cohesion. And that’s how audiences see these films.
Roger Ebert had a “Great Movies” section on his site. These were reviews of films several years after they were released. Some of them were released before his time, and others were films he reviewed when they were released that he’s chosen to re-review because he regards them highly. For the latter films it is interesting to read his original reviews and the reviews he wrote after re-watching them and considering them over the years. I’d love to see you do something like this.
Overall the cinema culture in India does not consider its history much, from the poor archiving by producers and studios over the decades, to the lack of real analysis of older films or a filmmaker’s body of work.
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brangan
March 30, 2018
Venkat Ramanan CS: Here’s the video:
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brangan
March 30, 2018
bala: Did I understand this correct? You are saying you don’t have time and money to watch movies?
Sigh!
I am saying that what I do is a JOB. It’s something I do out of passion, sure, but it’s also something that I do so I can pay the bills. And like any job, you cannot do what YOU want. If the editor says they want a review in 2 hours, that is PART OF THE JOB. You can’t say “I will take two days to mull over the movie and then give you a resonant review that takes into consideration all aspects of cinema.”
One of the key points I make is about demand and supply.
Job-bound critics (as opposed to hobbyists or bloggers who do this in their spare time) are tied to market forces, and if the insta-review is what the “demand” is, then that’s what the “supply” is going to be.
Many people start web sites saying “I will be different, etc.” But then, advertising reality kicks in. They begin to understand the need for clicks, hits, etc. They see that beyond the first day, the readership data on the review falls drastically. Slowly, they cave.
Look, I am not moaning about all this. I’m just saying this is how it is, and I think it should change, but that change has to be an INFRASTRUCTURAL change — where film education, etc. becomes an essential component.
I just wanted to point out these things in this piece.
“Original” venkatesh: Why is there this incessant need for everything to be surface-level ?
Because that’s the way it is, right? A decade back, would you find people looking at their smarphones during a movie? No. Because smartphones did not exist!!! As newer things burst on the landscape, the internal wiring of the consumer changes. It’s inevitable.
sree: Movie reviews nowadays are just a platform for the reviewers to exhibit their political bias and express their religious or atheistic views..
Really? Care to name some of these reviews? Haven’t come across these…
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brangan
March 30, 2018
ramitbajaj01:I think he is essentially saying that the way good cinema is supported by producers or niche demand, the good reviews are also dependent on the environment surrounding the publishing industry.
Exactly. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll say this again. I wanted to do a Conversations book with K Balachander, and no publisher would touch it because he’s not a pan-Indian figure. And then, some “well-meaning souls” said, “That’s okay. Why don’t you do it on your own, for the blog?”
But why would I put in that kind of time and effort — above and beyond the things I need to do for my employer — for free? If I were at a point in my life where I didn’t have to depend on a regular job, then sure, I could do this as a passion project. I can do one-off pieces for the heck of it, sure. But a book-length effort is a MAJOR thing.
Every two months a publisher says “Do this book on X personality.” I have to laugh. One of them was a Mumbai-based superstar. Even if the star agrees (a big if) , the publishing contract would need to cover travel, some basic accommodation, so on and so forth. Because “serious” books don’t sell enough to get huge royalties (so you can at least “okay, I am spending money now, but I will make it up later).
So this is not just about the publisher. This is about the consumer. The day serious film books become blockbusters, the situation will improve. So some of this “blame” rests on the reader too.
Heck, most of us don’t even want to shell out money for a paywall, forget this sort of thing 🙂
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brangan
March 30, 2018
rsylviana: All the “serious” films — i.e. the ones that depend on critical approval to some extent — have previews whose dates are intimated well in advance. But if the studio knows a big blockbuster is going to be torn apart, then they may not have previews. This is what Stephanie told me.
Tina: Would it be right to assume that being in a print medium like say the Hindu give you more time and space…
Not really. There is no “print medium” anymore in the old sense of the word, because reviews go up online much before they appear in print.
Because rediff has two reviewers, I guess there’s the liberty for one to put out a more thoughtful piece a day or two later (because the other critic has already put up a review).
Firstpost is being super supportive about my foreign-film column. They know this is going to have niche appeal, but they are doing this because they WANT to. That’s amazing.
With FC too, the support I got for #AskBR was terrific, even though the “numbers” compared to the star interviews are a fraction. This weekend, we are starting something new that borders a little more on film appreciation. Let’s see 🙂
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sanjana
March 30, 2018
This is the dilemma even a good film maker faces. They have to include something to keep audience interest intact. The general audience who make a film hit. Hits are necessary to be in business and to be important enough. That is why we have Hirani, Aamir Khan succumbing to tactics to make the film to be watched by the widest audience possible. And they are answerable to their financiers and distributors and also to the general public who pay to watch their films. But a section of critics is not very happy with this kind of film making. It is not easy to please everyone when it is a question of survival for both critics and film makers. The stakes are too high to be ignored.
Some film makers take this argument far and make films keeping only the masses and fans. Some are happy with small successes by keeping their cost low and they get critical acclaim and awards if their films are really good.
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shaviswa
March 30, 2018
@Sanjana – “This is the dilemma even a good film maker faces. They have to include something to keep audience interest intact. ”
That is not a compromise. That is a basic necessity in film making, no? What is point in making a film that no one watches?
Any art form – music, film, writing, painting – should have its target audience clearly defined. Without that, there is no point in it. The audience does not arm twist and force any film maker to make films to their liking. Every film maker decides to cater to a specific audience. If the audience rejects the film, then he has either failed in what he set out to do, or he created it for the wrong audience. Either way, the failing is by the maker.
That is another reason why most films that film awards at international festivals, fail to be box office draws. Directors like Ram and Myskkin are drawn to films by studying world films that win awards and are excited to make one such film. And then they make a film for the Tamil audience and expect the critics and the general public to accept and reward them for their work. This dichotomy in their approach needs to be called out.
The film critics that they are panning today are those who watch the films made for normal people….people who see films for the entertainment value. Their focus in reviewing will be with their target audience in mind. They dont care if you have made the film artistically or with technical finesse. Is the end product palatable to the audience that it is made for. They are doing a fairly decent job getting the pulse of the audience and figuring out whether the film will click or not.
This is very similar to how some software products are built. They may be the best technically. Could be the best architecture and design, fabulous performance, whatever. Maybe the software has next gen features that no one can think or dream about. But if the end customer is not enthused, they wont buy. Whatever be the merits of Linux and whatever be the failing of Windows, it is Windows that wins the commercial game. The geeks, the nerds will love Linux.
I don’t like Mysskin or Ram. Their films do not cater to my taste. And it does not matter if they think I am an ignorant idiot and know nothing about films. But dont ask for my money to watch your films. Look somewhere else for your audience.
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shaviswa
March 30, 2018
Another aspect to the complaint on absence of good critics – as BR says, such detailed criticism requires multiple viewing….time to digest and see again with a new perspective.
Who has the time? Why would anyone do that unless there is a market for such consumption?
Take the case of AskBR – the videos are crisp 20-25 mins. A more detailed analysis and elaborate explanation would require maybe a 3-4 hour video. BR knows and FC knows that nobody will watch such a video. AskBR is not just 20 mins, you also see BR literally rushing through the questions and trying to be as brief as possible in his response.
At the end of the day it is all about money. If people have a way to make money by being researchers instead of mere reviewers, I am sure they would do it. No one is interested in anything if there is no money. Even the term “a mere academic exercise” is not relevant as academics is also about money these days.
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GODZ
March 30, 2018
The response from BR is pretty much Spot on.
“But then, advertising reality kicks in. They be”
I guess passion for cinema needs to be driven by passion for cinema. I dont think publishers or advertisers or anyone can support in a sustained manner for quality and in depth analysis on cinema. It has to be and can be driven by people who are passionate about cinema. I am not sure if its already been tried. But if BR says that he will pilot a Podcast or website or even a radio channel that provides not just quality review but deep insights about Cinema and make it community driven , then I am right in and will donate a reasonable amount for that kind of service. and I am sure many more readers here will do the same. If its community driven, then People like Ram who are looking for that kind of Content should support it and its going to self sustain itself by the quality of content and programming and listeners and NOT by advertisers or whomsoever. IMO, BR is the only front face currently who can attract that kind of passionate users willing to pay/donate for such a service. Even in this site, I dont see an option for donation. Guardian has it. Wikipedia has it. Then why not BR?
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deepak
March 30, 2018
very well written article BR. I read your blogs before or after seeing the movie (just not to miss the nuances). you are already doing ur part
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sanjana
March 30, 2018
When a blog starts asking for donation, it loses its shine. Not because people are too miserly but because of some reservations about privacy. Privacy about one’s financial standing and one’s dependence on the family for these things however odd it may sound. Not only Gaurdian, even Scroll started a campaign for free and fair press through donations. Wiki stopped it and those who use fairfox are familiar with it. And then guilty feeling starts about this and this soon turns into annoyance. As it is, the regulars can be counted on fingers and many disappearing for months and years! And the next thing is some will start asking for things that puts unnecessary pressure on the owner. Suppose a rude person donates handsomely. Will he or she get a right to say anything and then sulk if he or she gets a warning? Or demand return of his or her money?
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shaviswa
March 30, 2018
Off late I have picked up this habit of watching 60s and 70s movies shown regularly on Sun Life. I feel that the movies from that era are very honest to the viewer – they want to tell a story and entertain the user.
Kavalkaran for example was very entertaining – despite MGR’s horrible acting and despite some unintentionally hilarious scenes. But the movie is not a pain to watch. Even when the villain kills people, they do not show that in a gory, cringy sort of way. They do not make you feel like picking a something and beating the villain to death. In fact, I found many Nambiar scenes humorous.
Films today are becoming unwatchable – too much violence and gore. In the name of reality they show all these blood smattering around and Shankar’s movies makes these scenes disgusting too. BGMs are not ear drum shattering. Almost absent when the characters in the film talk allowing us to listen to what they talk as well.
Technology improvements are fantastic today. Content – I dont think that has really improved.
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Anu Warrier
March 30, 2018
It is basically the attention span as well. I sent in an article the other day and was told to ‘simplify’ it. I thought what I wrote was readily comprehensible, so I asked what they meant. The answer was ‘simple words, 12-20 word sentences, click-bait headlines’ – this is for business writing!
In a country that doesn’t value written records of its arts, what price actual criticism? The problem also is that ‘critic’ has a negative connotation in and of itself. So people tend to balk at the word itself.
Devarsi, I can empathise – I was asked to write a review of Raid ‘only 600 words’ when I hadn’t watched the film at all. I passed. But then, I had the luxury of saying ‘No’.
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nathanrh
March 30, 2018
haven’t had time to read the comments but I think it’s important to mention that both of the major film magazines mentioned in the piece have massive institutional support behind them – Film Comment has the weight of Lincoln Center and Sigh & Sound has the BFI. Which means not just money to publish and pay writer but crucial editorial staff presence. Even a smaller, web only presence like Reverse Shot has Museum of the Moving Image behind it; something like Mubi notebook is supported by the streaming service.
This might be a dumb question but are there any institutions like that for Tamil (or even more broadly, Indian) cinema? If there was going to be a Tamil cinema magazine/journal/website what would it look like, ideally? A focus on new releases, dvds and streaming (somewhat like slant maybe) or on older, more thematically focused issues (perhaps like adrian martin’s rouge magazine, or cleo journal)?
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Madan
March 30, 2018
” The problem also is that ‘critic’ has a negative connotation in and of itself.” – In fact, I had to explain to somebody that the job of the critic is not necessarily to criticise every work of art (in the sense of panning it) but to provide an appreciation of it which may or may not be favourable.
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GODZ
March 30, 2018
@Sanjana..The only thing that shines anything is the content. I wont call it as donation but something like community driven. Whereas the paywall fixes an amount, membership driven is something purely voluntarily and it accepts even Rs.1 as token of support. But the larger problem is the appetite. But by that i mean We have this free mind set. Even in urban areas, people are ready to spend a Rs.200 for a cup of coffee per week but not ready to spend even a penny for a quality content. They are ready to sell their identity if something is free. Let say Tomorrow Facebook comes up with something like they are going to charge Rs.10 per month for users and they wont display Ad’s. I am sure their user base will quickly reduce by half. The point is this mindset to consume cheap content and compromise for things that are free and this natural resistance to appreciate and support quality content and the effort behind it.
No wonder Piracy is big problem here.
So if this niche or the passionate group of users are not supporting, then eventually people like BR are going to become a rarity and eventually the field will be filled only with mediocre people and content.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
March 30, 2018
Very insightful piece BR. But I kinda sensed all this beforehand which is why I didnt become a movie critic 🙂
You’ve brought out the tenuous threads on which a film’s appreciation hangs just like the tenuous threads on which a film hangs.
Sometimes what time of the day you watch a movie can change one’s experience of the movie entirely.
I thought Thevar Magan was a bore simply because I saw it in the special 9:30 am morning show but as a critic you dont have the luxury of choice unfortunately.
Not entirely related (on the other hand may be very relevant) I watched an interview with Richard Gere where he was arguing with Taylor Hackford about the last scene’s BGM and why it just wont work.
On another occasion as he was leaving the editing room the same music gave him goose pimples and the rest is history. Quod Errat Demonstratum
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sanjana
March 30, 2018
GODZ, Well it cannot be simplified that people like free things. In that case, everyone will eat at amma kitchens and skip watching films in theatres and wait for its telecast within a couple of months. I used to get newspapers and magazines and now completely stopped as everything is available online and the print is clear, not smudged or tiny. And trees will be saved!
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therag
March 31, 2018
The root cause is that film appreciation in the USA is an artform. Take a look at critics in major American mags – most were educated in the Liberal arts and have degrees in Literature, Philosophy etc. Case in point – Pauline Kael, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Armond White, A.O. Scott. The kind of reviewers Ram wants to read do not exist in India and that is because we do not have a liberal arts culture. To be honest, we also don’t really make many films that a Rosenbaum would want to review.
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Pavan
March 31, 2018
Just imagine that a Bengali guy has arrived in Kerala. Not many around him know Bengali to get what he is trying to say, and those who know the language are not that fluent. I am sure that Bengali would use English or Hindi and express himself in a better way. What if he rues that there is nobody who understands Bengali in Kerala? That’s Ram for me.
The section of the Tamil cinema reviewers are not completely unaware of what he is making. It is just that, Ram wants each and every element of his script to be read and analysed. Which, with all due respect towards him, is sheer foolishness. I have the nerve to say that because, his films don’t have universal appeal and connect. They are very confined spaces where not everyone has paid a visit. I am an outsider. I never really could empathise with the protagonists of Kattradhu Tamizh and Thanga Meengal. But insiders too weren’t much different I guess.
Coming to me, I don’t think so that I deserve to be a professional critic. But, when I want to pen down my thoughts as a review or something, there is this blog’s comments section, a new letterboxd account, and of course, our amateur review board that meets the night after the film’s release to discuss both filmmaking or storytelling or the lack of both! I am happy this way. And I am sure, like me, Ram is also happy in his own space with his own options.
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Madan
March 31, 2018
If I go by the words BR has quoted, Ram has not acknowledged him either in saying that approaching cinema as art is non existent in English reviews of Tamil films. So what exactly is he looking for? Or does he have the typical Tamilian resentment of Tamil people choosing to communicate in English?
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sanjana
March 31, 2018
I am really surprised that as far as I know, no film critic got any Padma awards.
I enjoy reading reviews with some masala and mirch than plain boring reviews.
And BR is the only critic who can make reading reviews a pleasure rather than a task to go through.
There is personal touch and personal interaction.
As for film appreciation, he does it in his own way. Just go through his reviews of SLB and Mani Ratnam films. And also some films which makes him write something about them.
There are intellectual reviews which are just for few people who enjoy them. Not for the general film goer who wants to be entertained by the reviews.
Here I find all kinds of reviews which makes this blog special.
Even Guardian reviews are quite to the point than elaborate ones.
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praneshp
March 31, 2018
I’m waiting for the Mysskin-Ram relationship to break down. From the enthusiasm at which they are jerking each other off, the fight will be spectacular.
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Madan
March 31, 2018
“Well it cannot be simplified that people like free things.” – Well, we do not like paying say subscription to read articles etc. That is why India has had to follow an advertising led model (which compromises the independence of the newspaper but can’t be helped). We do not think it’s worth it. We have convinced ourselves long back that somebody writing in a magazine or newspaper, irrespective of his credentials, doesn’t know any better than us (you see this sentiment in the way people attack journalists who have questioned their favourite politician(s) for instance). I am not saying everybody is like that but enough think in this way that it is difficult to create an environment where writing good quality content pays. When I used to write (for free, mind) for a cricket website, I was repeatedly pushed to write spoof articles. I don’t blame the editor; he has to run a business at the end of the day. Forget articles, TV shows where famous personalities are interviewed in depth don’t last long (and have increasingly moved to web content, like Film Companion). The attention span doesn’t exist. As Venkatesh observed, I don’t know what it says about where we are headed. If the USA is going this way – I suspect he was referring to emerging trends there in his comment – well, at least they have had a solid good run, they have had their FFCs and Scorceses, their Eberts and Kaels. If an as yet ’emerging economy’ like India doesn’t have the patience to think, it doesn’t bode well. The change in TV news coverage post Times Now is also symptomatic of this problem. Basically, we don’t have the patience to listen to a news cast and would rather a cacophony of shallow cross talk.
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sanjana
March 31, 2018
About shallow talk over real news and reading articles by paying subscription. I stopped watching news channels because they dont give us news anymore. They just stick to one sensational topic a day and call opinion makers. I read online news from many sources.
Writing does not pay as a profession anymore. Independent blogs have become rare. I used to be very fond of one site and I paid donation along with others. But the site folded up within 6 months!
I dont know about the economics of this site or another wordpress site with no ads, no subscriptions where I go 24 hours a day and the owners seem to run the site just for the love of it. Of course they have other jobs.
Of course, ads mar the reading pleasure. Just ;like tv viewing has become a headache due to too many ads.
It is not about attention span but it is the presentation that makes the difference. In classrooms, students tend to sleep when the teacher just go through the chore mechanically instead of making it lively and interesting.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
March 31, 2018
Madan Sanjana : was watching DD Kisan channel last weekend. very therapeutic. Full of common man-woman heroism stories. Prices of crops running below like a ticker. Photo of Narendra Modi constantly on the left hand side. Animatronic figure doing Yoga with Modi face. Modi cracking jokes at his own expense. Nice change from Times Now and Aundee TV
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Venky
March 31, 2018
The unsentimental handling of a film critic’s cripples by filmmaker Ram. 😉
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Madan
March 31, 2018
“It is not about attention span but it is the presentation that makes the difference.” – That depends. There are certain topics that cannot be converted into ‘info-tainment’ beyond a point. I am attending an in house management training program with presentations by highly qualified external faculty. When they discuss topics like decision making frameworks, it becomes difficult to make it entertaining without diluting the subject matter itself. I think the need to desire that everything should entertain itself is a symptom of receding attention spans. If people give talks without PPTs, the audience finds it difficult to concentrate but this is how things used to be done before. In India, because of our exam scoring system which gives marks for say writing the definitions of everything under the sun in an economics answer without answering the question itself, this takes hilarious forms. People sometimes make presentations marshalling beautiful charts with multi colour slides without presenting the alternative solutions that they can think of and/or the rationale for the same.
Now how does any of this relate to quality of art criticism? Well, again, an in depth analysis would necessarily be elaborate. A patient reader puts up with the digressions in the hope of learning a different way of looking at art. Of course it makes perfect sense for the reviewers themselves to value brevity to get maximum readership but that is ultimately the readers’ loss because they are limiting the experience and insight they can gain in their quest for stuff that conforms to the KISS principle. Say if BR wrote more like Khalid Mohammed, maybe his readership would grow. But what then would differentiate BR from scores of other reviewers? And remember there have been people like Anuj who have accused BR of writing lengthy reviews for the sake of it so there’s always somebody who wants it even more concise.
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brangan
March 31, 2018
One man’s poison, another man’s meat 🙂 This was tweeted by the Kidaari director:
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sanjana
March 31, 2018
The said critc was passionate but also somewhat biased. That somewhat became too much. There used to be one site called Passion for cinema and I dont know whether it exists anymore.
100 page court orders and even government notifications cant be entertaining.
Rediffmovies’ readers have this complaint about film reviews being a showcase for reviewers to show off their language skills, hollywood knowledge and reader unfriendly. They want it to be dumbed down.
Somewhat like Hindu paper and TOI. South people have utmost loyalty for the sedate and somewhat dull Hindu while TOI is the preferred newspaper for those not from the south. There are exceptions.
That is why I am pleasantly surprised that a person from the south and also who worked for The Hindu, can be as lively and interesting as Toi while retaining the honesty of TH.
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brangan
March 31, 2018
Pavan: I hope it came through in this piece that I wasn’t exactly attacking Ram (who, like everyone else, is free to come to his own conclusions about critics or whatever). This was more about explaining the other side of things.
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Madan
March 31, 2018
“South people have utmost loyalty for the sedate and somewhat dull Hindu while TOI is the preferred newspaper for those not from the south.” – Well, we tried subscribing to Hindu for a while but here in Mumbai, you only get the previous day’s paper. So that didn’t make sense and we dropped it. TOI has a good Sunday spread. But its reviews are terrible, even worse now than in the days when Khalid/Jitesh Pillai wrote reviews. Maybe Taran Adarsh standard or so now. You do get good reviews (albeit not up to BR level) in its city sibling (Mumbai/Pune/Ahmedabad Mirror) which is the TOI equivalent of Midday/Afternoon Despatch & Courier.
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Rahul
March 31, 2018
I posit that the kind of criticism that Ram is talking about , i.e. academic criticism, started with Cahiers du cinéma , in which there was a cross pollination of film makers and writers. Anurag Kashyap used to write about films on his the blog passionforcinema but though he is a writer If I remember correctly he never tried to write formal academic film criticism. If this type of thing has to take root in India, I think collaborations between writers and film makers – not necessarily about their own films – would go a long way.
The journalistic brand of criticism for Tamil movies is well represented by BR IMHO. Not just the articles but the discussion is top notch. What I feel for mostly is Malayalam and Bengali cinema in India. Recently I saw a terrific Bengali movie – Billu Rakkhosh . For a decent English review of it i will have to wait for it to go to a festival . And there too, the review will be half a page or so. There are so many gems from Malayalam cinema that I have come across on Netflix. Out of the top of my head, i rememeber The toymaker and Shavam. To me it is a very pleasant surprise that such kind of movies are even getting made.The most joyous thing about the toymaker and shavam is the feeling that the filmmakers are so true to their visions. Not even a single frame feels like the movie ever falters from their conception of how it should be, or it takes any other considerations into account. If such brave film makers can exist then I am sure critics can as well.
I have often thought about writing reviews of these underrepresented movies. I am not talking about an academic review or even a decent review but at least something to get the ball rolling. For one, i think I will have to watch the movies again , and secondly , writing comes difficult to me. Even the responses to articles that I write here, when I read them again I realize they are full of grammatical errors (some of which I may not even know of). But I do think about it, and unless I do something about it myself I don’t think I should be complaining about it .
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sanjana
March 31, 2018
Grammar should not frighten people from writing. It is the feelings that matter. Grammar is like caste. The higher castes make all the rules. Or they did so in the past. If we can speak Indian english, why not write our own english as long as it makes sense.
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Madan
March 31, 2018
Rahul: Your English is fine. Pl do not let that deter you from expressing yourself and especially for a worthy cause.
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Anu Warrier
March 31, 2018
Grammar should not frighten people from writing. It is the feelings that matter.
Groan! No. No. And NO! Please. As an editor, I have enough issues with ‘creative writing’ already. I’m not saying one must rigidly follow the rules of grammar – and I can understand Churchill’s ire (‘“This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put.”). I have no issues with breaking the rules of grammar, but to do that, one must first know the rules.
But to say that ‘If we can speak Indian English, why not write our own English?” is a cop out. Indian English is not ungrammatical. It’s idomatic. There’s a difference.
Again, why is it that it is only English that is at the receiving end of this argument? Hindi has as rigid, if not more so, grammatical rules – would anyone countenance writing ungrammatical Hindi on grounds that ‘as long as it makes sense’ it is okay? So does French and German – the latter is brutal when it comes to noun-gender and verb-tense usage. I’d like to see anyone make the case for writing bad French or German on grounds that ‘it makes sense’.
People, please take some pride in using language – whether it is English or Hindi or Malayalam or Bengali or…
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Gautham
March 31, 2018
@Madan: I thought of leaving this in your readers write-in column but didn’t, before seeing your comment here subsequently. I don’t think albums are even intended to be immersive any longer, where the album and the individual tracks (and their order) are coherent entities in their own right. The last ‘albums’ I recall consuming as albums would probably be Ayutha Ezuthu, Rang De Basanti and Stadium Arcadium. I guess singles as firmly entrenched as the medium of consumption.
To add to BR’s point about demand and supply, I think the comparison between English and Tamil movie critiquing in itself is misleading. I feel the English movie review can count among its audience, a segment who might not even watch, or expect to watch, the movie in question. The Tamil movie review doesn’t have such a market/luxury. For instance, one might have read a Blade runner review because they liked the original, like Philip K Dick, like Denis Villeneuve or Roger Deakins or one of the cast, or, say, read the Guardian. A Tamil movie review might get your attention when you intend to watch a movie and you like the director or the cinematographer or just want BR’s opinion. The closest analogy i can think of is good cricket writing, which you can consume as a standalone piece without watching the cricket, and football writing, which is pretty pointless without watching the football.
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sanjana
March 31, 2018
I still think grammar is only for high school students. If one starts grammatical correctness argument, I think more than half the commenting public will vanish which is undemocratic. The way indians from different regions speak english is far worse than the way they try to write.
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sanjana
March 31, 2018
One more point I would like to make. Indians are united by english language and even if is not perfect, it is better than nothing.
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Anu Warrier
March 31, 2018
Rahul, seconding Madan – your English is fine. Typing a comment sometimes ends up an exercise in frustration because we often don’t proof read before we hit ‘publish’. I’ve cringed at some of the misspellings and grammatical errors in my comments.
Please do write about Malayalam films – I, for one, promise to read, especially because I don’t have access to many Malayalam movies and the ones I do get to watch are those that friends recommend – only, they’re mostly mainstream movies. (Which is great, don’t get me wrong.)
As for writing, believe me, good writing comes with practice. The more you write, the better you will get. I’m not patronising you here. It’s been my personal experience – like anything else, your writing too gets better (and easier) when you write. And when you read. All the best.
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Madan
March 31, 2018
Gautham: Oh, I still habitually consume albums as just albums but that’s because I still have avenues to learn of not-so-mainstream music, stuff that probably wouldn’t get made without crowdfunding. In the mainstream, yes, the album is long gone. The album had a life as long as music was to be consumed by a physical medium with a running length of 45/60 min. Once we moved completely to digital and ditched CDs, there was no scope left for albums anymore. But the point about immersion still stands. Long before I got into the album format (which was only when I got into Western music), I would listen to a SONG that fascinated me over and over again. If there was a part in there that I really liked and if I was momentarily distracted by conversation or a doorbell ring or what have you, I would want to go back to that part again. I think people are finding it difficult to give that kind of undivided attention to music. With films, it happens in the darkness of the cinema hall but is difficult to replicate at home.
Curious as to why football writing without watching the game doesn’t make sense? Is it because it does not have room for standout individual sporting feats like a great innings or a great spell or even an incredible piece of fielding?
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Anu Warrier
March 31, 2018
Aaaand… I just realised I misspelled ‘idiomatic’ in my previous comment. weeping softly And I call myself an editor!
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sanjana
April 1, 2018
English language itself is not as pure as our Indian languages when it comes to pronounciation matching with spellings. Let them clean their house first. Let them use the same pronunciation.
Pronounciation or Pronunciation : “Pronounce” is the verb, but the O is omitted for the noun: “pronunciation.” This mistake ranks right up there in incongruity with “writting.” One of the comments English teachers dread to see on their evaluations is “The professor really helped me improve my writting.”
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sanjana
April 1, 2018
http://www.english-for-students.com/Pronounciation-or-Pronunciation.html
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Madan
April 1, 2018
@sanjana: English may have its quirks but at least it doesn’t have things like attaching gender differentiation to inanimate objects. People who know French may correct me if I am wrong but a colleague who is learning French that the gender of a non living thing may change depending on the gender of the person involved. So if a lady opens a door, the gender of the door becomes female and the opposite if a man opens it, something like that. I find that very confusing. So, with all its quirks, I would say English is still a user friendly language. And of the four languages I know, it’s the only one that I find is easier to write than to speak because I don’t have to worry about silent letters, to say nothing of rhotic/non rhotic, when I write. 😛 Maybe the reason we Indians find English confusing is simply that it’s ultimately not an Indian language. I find its grammar ok because its rules are broadly similar to Tamil (which too is gender neutral with regard to non living things). But even Tamil doesn’t have the apostrophe. I have to speak/write a lengthy pronoun next to the person’s name every time. In English, an apostrophe and an s take care of business, so much more convenient.
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sanjana
April 1, 2018
If we own a language by birth or study it as the first language, then even the most difficult language becomes the most easy one. Just like spell check, if there is grammar check, then we may commit fewer mistakes while writing in english.
If edit option is there, we can correct what we type in a hurry. Sometimes the mistakes creep in and we have to curse or laugh at ourselves sheepishly.
I always have an odd feeling when I type a grammatically wrong sentence and it is always an afterthought.
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Anu Warrier
April 1, 2018
@ Sanjana – Yes, English is not a really phonetic language – spellings do not often indicate pronounication. But to me, the gender designations in Hindi are as arbitrary. That is not an excuse for abusing the language.
I’m not talking about casual conversation, or even posting comments – especially in the latter case, much is forgiven since you’re typing on the fly. But if you are writing an article, or a blog post or a book, for heavens’ sake take the trouble to write grammatically and to polish up your language. I know bad writing is supposed to be manna from heaven for editors like me, but even we can only do so much to make it look good.
Also, let me ask you something – how many readers, do you think, would appreciate BR’s reviews or articles if he couldn’t write a proper sentence in English? Do you really think a good idea can communicate itself without the use of good language?
I’m tired of arguments in defence of mediocrity. Is there something really wrong if you try to better yourself – whether it is in the use of language or an art or a skill?
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sanjana
April 1, 2018
Anu, I am just writing about comments, not about articles.I respect good language skills.
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sanjana
April 1, 2018
Happy All Fools’ Day.
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Rahul
April 1, 2018
Thanks Sanjana, Madan and Anu for the encouragement.
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bala
April 2, 2018
sorry for the tone of my previous comment. I agree that even the most passionate professionals have to make compromises because of market demand.
May be this article it self is an example of what you are trying to explain. I found the topic “open letter..” to be uncharacteristically confrontational, as well as a misleading one because the contents didn’t seem to have any action items for Ram in particular, or didn’t associate any blame on him or his peers. And you claim your article to be a rebuttal after fully agreeing to his statements. May be your bosses wanted a rebuttal, and gave you the title as well?
And let me agree with everyone that what you are doing is already excellent, and very inspiring for me.
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Gautham
April 2, 2018
@Madan: I find it difficult to have an immersive experience through just a song (probably due to the length and the lack of mood-setting nature of an album).
I think cricket writing uniquely has the ability, at times, to be transcendental, evocative and introspective and that allows that article/book to be about something larger. In contrast, a couple of non-cricket articles that I read and liked involved xG stats and Steph Curry’s training routine. I can’t imagine being interested in them unless you had had an interest in specific areas of football, basketball or biomechanics.
The point I was trying to make might have been clearer if I had used a better comparison of movies. If, for example, reviews of Bridge of Spies, The Post and Ready Player One are published, I think the reviews of Bridge of Spies and The Post would get better traction as there are more paths to participation. The cold war, intelligence agencies, or the U-2, and Kat Graham, Bradlee, Ellsberg, Watergate or free speech, among other reasons, might have interested me in their reviews respectively. There is a possibilty for multiple perspectives and equally valid opposing viewpoints. With Ready Player One though, as I haven’t read the book, the one thing that might have interested me would have been the philosophical undertones. I didn’t expect the movie or the reviews to treat it with any reverence though (that expectation might have been present for Blade Runner). Tamil films, imo, face a similar predicament, in that, there’s very little to get participation going, and once you have that, to sustain interaction. BR’s article focussed on the structural and logistical issues. I guess the lack of an ecosystem, of a cultural and ancillary history nature, surrounding a movie too is an impediment.
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Purple Sky
April 2, 2018
Being one of the “well meaning souls”, who suggested that the KB books should be written, I wanted to clarify my point. I never suggested that it should be written for free on the blog. With the explosion of internet, self publishing is a very viable option. For eg. Pls check the expat who has written a book about being an expat in Chennai – Chennai expat guide. This book is being marketed online, and it is available as an ebook on Kindle through Amazon. There are also many crowdfunding sites , which seeks for crowd funding for creative projects. Iswarya’s friend also had used one such site to crowdfund their movie. This is merely my suggestion. Not that I expect anyone to take it.
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Jayaram Balasubramanian
April 3, 2018
This has became a daily affair for people like Ram. Come on…they are just film makers like any other. They are not one unique snowflake. Right from his first movie, it’s always whining about normal life. Take a breather…this is going to be big.
His character mocks and beats a guy working in Call center because he changed his name for money…what is the real name of this film maker..? Ain’t he one among many to change his name for the job….there’s one more..Mysskin…I don’t think that his real name as well…and is he willing to mock everyone who changed their name..?Remember Shivaji Rao Geakwad…that director or his “fans” can answer as well.
Next…always his protagonist’s worry what the girl wears. Started in Jeeva movie…continued till Taramani…..grow up. Few more lines about Taramani. His protagonist does every thing that’s unethical…he stalks girls…he steals money…but he won’t work to earn that money and give it back…instead Ram’s hero will wait for the actress to return from America to give back that money..later, the protagonist starts stalking married women…and as per his protagonist…Girls in IT, Housewives, Girls who visit other countries are all wrong….Men working in IT are womanizers…Rich housewives are wrong….and one who manipulates all these people..and try to take advantage of all these women is right and he will get the leading lady as well and we have to root for the protagonist…I don’t think so…sloppy writing with vested interests.
Adhuthu…eppo pathalum..”Nalla Padam”! Appo mathathellam..??. If the movie is good, people watch…Period. Leave Aruvi…Managaram is one fine example…you don’t need anything but talent.
Stop crying….no art is complete if it cannot accept a comment.
and last…why do these guys act..? Default answer would be “We approached big heroes…they are not willing to act..so we act…”, $$$$$$$. If that’s the case give that chance to a new comer. Logic is , Big heroes should give chance to these one-two film directors…and these won’t give chance to a newcomer..!
Grow up…you’re just film makers..not the first..and not the last!
JB.
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Madan
April 3, 2018
@ Gautham: Agreed on both counts. I have seen vibrant and very in depth discussions of films of this blog but I guess it’s a very small minority and nothing that would sustain publishing and consumption of say film journals.
And yes, it’s harder to sustain immersion when it’s just a single track of music lasting 4-5 min. That’s why prog rock rocks! 😛 Seriously though, I was thinking of compilation tapes like of best of IR/ARR where there was enough music to digest and the music warranted undivided attention. The nature of music being made has also adapted to our current multi-tasking listening habits.
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Ramchander Krishna (@ramctheatheist)
April 5, 2018
Hi Rangan! A few questions…
How did Cahiers du Cinema come about? What can we learn from that French movement to bring about a healthy film appreciation culture for Tamil films?
While I agree that preview screenings are good for film appreciation “before” a film’s release, isn’t it a weak excuse for not having analytical writing? Can’t a critic create a piece on a director’s first 4 films before his 5th film hits the screens? That should be clickbait as well as meaningful right? Like instead of coming up with silly plotline predictions, a video analysing the filmmaker’s tropes before his film’s release might make more sense. Wink wink nudge nudge 😛
Don’t you think hobbyists and film lovers are the ones who will create a market for bigwigs to later come in and pump the money for a magazine like Film Comment? For example there’s Ayal Cinema and Kaatchi Pizhai, tamil print magazines dedicated to film appreciation. Over time when they create a sizeable market the investors will automatically come to sustain them. So if a critic takes time off to write a passionate piece for his personal satisfaction, although he won’t get paid immediately, shouldn’t he/she be thinking long term that a loyal audience is being created?
Film appreciation isn’t just reviews, critical pieces and video essays. Film clubs and arthouse cinemas are also needed to sustain a film appreciation culture. Has the arthouse cinema model worked anywhere in India? Is there a commercially viable model that can be adopted in Tamil Nadu? How active are film clubs in Tamil Nadu?
Do you think there’s a need for film books specific to Tamil Nadu (or India)? Like a Tamil/Indian version of Syd Field’s Screenplay or McKee’s Story? I’ve had this question after reading Ray’s Our Films Their Films. I wonder if a problem critics face is looking at Indian films through the lens of Western film appreciation.
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brangan
April 7, 2018
Ramchander Krishna: While I agree that preview screenings are good for film appreciation “before” a film’s release, isn’t it a weak excuse for not having analytical writing? Can’t a critic create a piece on a director’s first 4 films before his 5th film hits the screens?
I’ve addressed this in this piece.
Many writers juggle so many things (like I have to oversee the FC YouTube site, create videos, do reviews, AND write articles) that carving out time for special pieces like these becomes a problem.
Just watching Apoorva Raagangal, picking out scenes, writing a script around them, shooting it, editing it — took almost a couple of days. With this kind of multitasking, pure film writing WILL take a hit.
Yes, analysing a filmmaker’s tropes etc is possible — but I am addressing a larger institutional, infrastructural problem, combined with the fact that 90% people don’t care about cinema anymore (they only care about stars and big names). So the focus of a site becomes “how to get the attention of this 90%” rather than “how to talk to the 10%”.
So if a critic takes time off to write a passionate piece for his personal satisfaction, although he won’t get paid immediately, shouldn’t he/she be thinking long term that a loyal audience is being created?
That is the whole idea behind the new Flashback videos. The numbers are small. But hopefully, an audience is being created.
But there is no market for serious cinema appreciation here. Trust me. I’ve been in this field for 15 years. It’s at best a niche audience.
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sanjana
April 7, 2018
Many writers juggle so many things (like I have to oversee the FC YouTube site, create videos, do reviews, AND write articles) that carving out time for special pieces like these becomes a problem.
When you get fed up of this multi tasking, you can do what you love to do.
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brangan
April 7, 2018
sanjana: It is not a question of getting “fed up.” It’s a JOB. Which means there’s a boss, there are certain company objectives you become a part of, whether you want to or not. Would you quit your job if you got “fed up,” unless there was a VIABLE alternative. (I assume you have EMIs etc, like the rest of us, that won’t magically pay themselves.)
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sanjana
April 7, 2018
I know the materialistic side of life and its demands on our time and involvement. After watching some films like ZNMD, DCH and the like, one maybe forgiven if one thinks of pursuing dreams as a serious job!
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Vivek narain
April 7, 2018
If you run at your top speed, you will manage to stay where you are. To move ahead you have to run at twice your top speed. And to achieve that speed, without beating time(for if you beat time,the time will make you a perpetual tea drinker), you have 2 options either you juggle two jobs at top speed or you do three jobs at 70% speed. And juggling 3 jobs at a time with the moderate speed of 70% is the sustainable way, if you do 2 jobs you’ll get burned out and if you manage 4 jobs you’ll lose concentration and end up doing a lousy bunch of jobs. So 3 jobs it is, not an empirical formula exactly but nearly enough. This is what Lewis Carroll means among many other things in his two books.
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Honest Raj
April 7, 2018
Vivek narain: Simply put, less tension more work… more work less tension.
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wanderer14
April 26, 2018
BR…
A thoughtful post indeed.
I think the director has a point. He may not be venting against renowned critics like yourself, but in today’s climate, everyone who has an online presence can be a critic. Be it Twitter, Facebook, self-blogs, anyone can dissect a movie from behind a screen these days. It gives power for them to ‘feel’ they can influence a movie’s critical appreciation and box office performance. This isn’t really a big deal, as everyone has the right to express their opinions. However, certain critics/online influencers play a key role in determining audience viewpoints to see a particular movie. In the West, there’s Rotten Tomatoes which supposedly influences the online crowd as to the perceived quality of a film.
Such reviews may ensure that even before the audience actually see a movie, an opinion is formed. “X movie is horrible, right?”. Rather than take a chance on a particular movie, we prefer to stick to our comfort zone and trust that person’s viewpoint. Actually, such films may end up much better than expected! Hence I have little sympathy for the statement ‘try being a reviewer in today’s climate’. With just a few words on Twitter, a film’s overall likability can be determined online. I firmly believe being a critic today is a powerful, enviable position so long as your content is of acceptable quality. You have the power to influence the decision of a movie-goer to see a film or not at the present moment. Sadly, too many reviewers rely on click baiting headlines and the star system to put their point across. The argument for needing to post a review by a particular deadline is understandable for publication based reviewers, but more reviewers are starting their own websites and blogs or becoming freelance, so time should not be such a major deterrent then.
Advance screenings are unlikely to work, because unlike in Hollywood, where 99 times out of 100, a film will stick to a particular release date, in India even biggies like 2.0 or Kaala change their release date even at the last moment. Here the film industry should get their act together. Then there is the censoring which doesn’t always ensure the final product is delivered without any cuts on the table (see the Hanuman word bleeped in Black Panther).
As for the after-film release discussion, I would propose an independent panel of reviewers who review the film reviews of newspaper publications and either criticise or find strong points from each review. This will keep the weaker reviewers honest and flesh them out of the picture as quality, unbiased writing takes precedence while encouraging those neutral, unbiased reviewers to feel they are being championed and taken seriously. This process should also enhance the culture of film appreciation considerably. At the same time, the movie going audience has a different (hopefully neutral) perspective to draw upon before deciding to watch a film.
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hattorihanzo4784
June 16, 2018
Has anyone offered you money for a paid review so far? How much was offered?
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brangan
June 16, 2018
No man, unfortunately 😁
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Deepika
September 3, 2021
BR: “This weekend, we are starting something new that borders a little more on film appreciation. Let’s see.. ” Which segment is this?
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