E

Every Friday we meet them at the movies. We wait for them

to tell us what to watch and what to skip. They are a breed of
passionate movie lovers and gifted writers. They are not box
ofce metres. And yet, when we like a movie they dont, we
think theyre wrong and unfair. And, oh yes, we think theyre
just snobs. I got a chance to ask ve well-loved (pun intended)
Indian lm critics Mihir Fadnavis, Anupama Chopra, Rajeev
Masand, Mayank Shekhar and Raja Sen - how they do what
they do, and still stay in love with the craft.
India Se: The New York Times lm critic A O Scot said,
The indiscriminate love of movies is the rst step in the
development of taste. Looking back was your career as a lm
critic a given?
Mihir Fadnavis: Yes I think so. Ive been watching movies
pretty much since the day I was born, and Im extremely
passionate about cinema. Im obsessed with it, so a career in
cinema was a given.
Anupama Chopra: I didnt grow up loving movies even
though my mother is a scriptwriter. We were snotty South
Bombay brats. I had a passion for literature - ended up
topping Bombay University. I got to work for Movie magazine
and then got seduced - covering the chaotic, colourful circus of
the movie business. Even then it was the trends and the cinema
itself that I fell in love with. So I went off to Northwestern
University to do a Masters in
Journalism, because I wanted
to do this differently from how
it was being done.
Rajeev Masand:
I didnt think I
could become
a lm critic
didnt realise
it could be
a career.
I chanced
upon this
when I joined
the Indian
Express several years after Id already been a journalist. They
wanted me to review lms and it was the greatest gift you could
give a movie geek. Everything I do comes from great love,
affection and enthusiasm for the movies.
Mayank Shekhar: We lived close to the embassies in Delhi and
I made it a point to catch French, Italian, any foreign lms I
could. On the other hand, I wouldnt miss a single weekend
Bollywood release either, irrespective of the genre romance
or a hardcore Sunny Deol offering. It didnt occur to me that
my interest in lms was any more or less than anyone elses.
Raja Sen: I loved reading, writing and literature; I studied
literature in college and then did a Masters in the UK.
Though lm has always been a part of my life my father was
in advertising and then he made documentary lms. I was
schooled in the lms of Ray, Godard, Coppola. Also everything
that stood for movie magic Spielberg to Bond soon began
shaping my perception of how cinema is a mood altering
substance. I began by reporting Formula One racing, another
real passion, but soon the folks at Rediff.com had me writing
for movies.
India Se: Do you think the digital space has democratised
movie reviewing or lled it up with amateurs and fanboys?
Mihir Fadnavis: Healthy combination of both, I feel. Every
movie critic is a fanboy, just a very well read one. Its denitely
becoming a challenge and alternatively a boon, to a lmmaker
though, because word of mouth (whether a lm is good or
bad) spreads really quickly digitally.
Anupama Chopra: Some of the best writing and the best blogs
are digital because theres no restriction of space. I think its
wonderful that movie critics are no longer on pedestals, acting
like the authority on movies, which is why I am on Twitter.
But of course, I dont enjoy being abused. We are here to say
what our response to a lm is, and that may or may not reect
popular opinion and often it doesnt.
Rajeev Masand: I think both. A host of exciting new voices
have emerged. A breed of articulate and knowledgeable
bloggers - Mihir Fadnavis is a great example. The internet also
allows for different formats to come into play Sahil Rizwans
Vigil Idiot reviews in the form of comic strips its just
CI NEMA
Critiquing Bollywood films is not a song-and-dance sequence. Five top
Indian critics tell you why
By SONIA BAHL
STORY BEHIND THE
STARS#####
fantastic! But now there are also those doing
it because the internet gives them a sense of
power. They often tweet reviews while still
watching a movie. How can you form an
opinion of something that is still going on?
Mayank Shekhar: I am a huge fan of the
internet and what its done in general. Its
brought out the best in us and the beast in
us. Personally I think its helped my writing
evolve and I would like to embrace it.
Raja Sen: There are too many people who
actually believe they can say something truly
insulting, achieve a truly horrible put-down
and its going to get them talked about. Its
unfair to make that sort of thing the focus of
a review. Sure, the job of a critic is to give his
opinion but not without backing it up with
an informed analysis. And I cant take that
negativity.
India Se: Movies are the most popular art
form - in India even more so. Does this
make your critiquing job that much more
challenging?
Mihir Fadnavis: Actually it makes it more
fun. If you truly love cinema, the more
movies, the merrier. All art is derivative of a
preceding art form, so essentially were all
watching movies based on something that was
done before. That said, Id denitely prefer
more original movies than remakes, especially
the ones from the 80s.
Anupama Chopra: I love the act of going
into a theatre and waiting for a story to
unfold. Honestly, I am not at all cynical even
if its the two hundredth 80s remake I am
watching! I love Bollywood. I love song and
dance. I am pumped up about being a Hindi
lm critic.
Rajeev Masand: Yes it is challenging, only
because you write for people who dont
always understand or respect the job you
do. As a result if someone doesnt agree with
you - you are a bad reviewer. Youve taken
money. You get called a rubbish critic because
you didnt like a lm thats making several
hundred crores at the box ofce. Its hard
to explain that lm criticism has nothing to
do with box ofce collections. Its possibly
because we really dont have a history of lm
criticism as they do in the West, where Roger
Ebert received a Pulitzer Prize for it.
Mayank Shekhar: Writing about lms
because I love lms is only one part of it. The
other part is the fact that its such a popular
medium and it attracts so many people its a
tribal experience. What
this popular culture says
about us really, really
intrigues me. My love
for understanding this
is almost as much as my
love for lms - which is
why I enjoy reviewing
mainstream lms.
Raja Sen: There are a
bunch of international
critics and pop
culture writers I
enjoy reading. So I
decided early on that
irrespective of the lm
I am reviewing, I have
to write something that
would be enjoyable by
itself. I wasnt pulling
any punches and
suddenly there were all
these people who were
professing their hate
for me. I realised how
extremely seriously we
take our movies its still
something to be alarmed
about. A friend once said,
You have made enemies
among the ungrammatical.
India Se: Do you nd the
5-star rating system limiting,
awed, or adequate? And how
should the every day movie-goer
interpret stars?
Mihir Fadnavis: Its denitely
awed, and unfair to a lmmaker.
And misleading to the audience.
They should read the reviews
instead of seeing star ratings.
Anupama Chopra: When I used
to review lms for NDTV I never
gave stars. I felt it was so wrong to
review in a report card, simplistic
sort of way. But I realise I am here to
provide a consumer service. I am here
to see it before you and tell you what
I thought.
Rajeev Masand: Its a necessary evil I
wish we didnt have. I try to keep my
own reviews short so people will at
least read it and not skip to the stars
to decide what Im saying about the
lm.
Anupama Chopra is a film critic, author, anchor.
Rajeev M
asand is film
critic and entertainm
ent
Editor at C
N
N
-IBN
. H
e has been reviewing film
s for
over a decade now, and tries not to get cynical about
the m
ovies despite the wildly inconsistent standard
of film
s he has to watch every week.
M
ihir Fadnavis is an Indian film
critic and
certified m
ovie geek who has consum
ed
m
ore m
ovies than m
eals. He blogs at
m
ihirfadnavis.blogspot.in
Mayank Shekhar is the first recipient of
Ramnath Goenka Award for film and television
journalism, he runs the site TheW14.com.
Raja Sen: One of the m
ost read (and reviled) film

critics, Raja Sen continues to write m
ost incorrigibly
about Hindi cinem
a, am
ong other things.
34 INDIASE JUNE 2014
Mayank Shekhar: No lm will be as good or as bad as it is
shown to be in a binary form. But thats what a lot of readers
would like to know.
Raja Sen: Its apples and oranges. When Im watching a lm
like Chak De India, a sports movie I give it three and half
stars its being held up against that kind of lm and that
kind of standard only. If I give Singh is King three stars you
cant compare the two. Films have to be held up to their own
benchmark. People get angry without realising this theres
nothing empirical here, its just an opinion.
India Se: Its been said reviewers sound like theyre writing
for one another and not for the average movie-goer whos
supposed to know nothing about cinema your take?
Mihir Fadnavis: Well it depends on the reviewer. Its tough
to maintain the balance between writing for the average
audience and your loyal readers. A critic who loves commercial
masala like Housefull will not care much about audiences
who love lms like Ship of Theseus. And vice versa. I try to
remain objective in this aspect, even though Im a tad harsh to
mindless movies.
Anupama Chopra: I think I was the only critic who thought
Gunday was great fun! I have the mentality of the frontbencher.
Yet I do think when writing, you shouldnt dumb it down. You
have to engage and inform, without of course, getting carried
away with your own knowledge.
Rajeev Masand: I think there are some reviewers who
write for each other so they discuss form and technique in
great detail. And thats not something the average viewer is
interested in. As a reviewer tell the viewer something he may
not have ordinarily noticed.
Mayank Shekhar: A review is supposed to be an emotional
reaction to what you watched. The more formal you get in
revealing that emotion the more the distance between what
youre thinking and what youre writing, You hope to bridge
that gap between what you think and what you write and
the moment its zero, its going to be far more fun to read. So
that is what one should aspire for rather than be considered a
writer I dont consider myself a writer at all.
Raja Sen: Yeah, absolutely I think were all guilty of that to
some extent. Its a question of how much do you give away.
A review needs to make sense in its entirety. It should not
confound you but I personally enjoy planting little references,
gags and inside jokes which if you get, will make the whole
review so much more enjoyable. Ideally it should be something
that makes you want to look up the movies or directors
mentioned and lead you to more movies.
India Se: Dont artists tend to take all criticism personally? Do
you recall an artist who surprised you with his/her grace?
Mihir Fadnavis: I encounter them all the time. To be fair I
understand their frustration. Even a bad movie takes effort to
make its tough to handle when youre trashed by someone
sitting on an armchair writing 500 words. Recently Vikram
Motwane (Udaan) stunned me with his sportsmanship after he
listened to my criticism for Lootera, and later discussed the lm
with me. There are a few others like Anurag Kashyap too, but
that quality is very rare in Bollywood.
Anupama Chopra: There are not many but Priyanka Chopra
was denitely one. I criticised her lm Anjana Anjani which
I thought was a terrible lm and on the same day I had to
interview her for Vogue magazine. She just laughed and said,
You didnt really like my lm, did you? She handled it
beautifully.
Rajeev Masand: In an industry thats lled with very thin skin,
one must give credit where its due. Ram Gopal Varma - he
has amazing grace. He takes reviews on the chin. Critiques are
never personal.
Mayank Shekhar: I have, by and large, been stunned by
how much you can get away with. Actually what you write has
nothing to do with the lm industry the minute you think it
does, its the end.
Raja Sen: Once upon a time, when I did not know him at
all, Anurag Kashyap had made a lm called No Smoking.
At the same time Saawariya had come out. I found myself
repelled by both lms and wrote a column titled Why Anurag
Kashyap is like Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I think it was an affront to
both lmmakers. I discussed why both lms were so bad. It
surprised me that Anurag was so forthcoming he wanted to
meet me and discuss what else I thought about the lm.
CI NEMA
Do you recall the first movie you reviewed?
Mihir Fadnavis: Spielbergs Minority Report
Anupama Chopra: David Dhawans Aankhen (an analysis
on why it was so successful)
Rajeev Masand: Aamir Khans Mela
Mayank Shekhar: Autumn in New York
Raja Sen: Gurinder Chadhas Bride and Prejudice
An Indian film that truly surprised you recently?
Mihir Fadnavis: Queen
Anupama Chopra: The Lunchbox
Rajeev Masand: Ship of Theseus
Mayank Shekhar: Ankho Dekhi
Raja Sen: Queen
Do you have a must-read critic?
Mihir Fadnavis: Peter Bradshaw and Mark Kermode.
Anupama Chopra: Anthony Lane, Manhola Dargis, Zan
Brooks, Peter Brody
Rajeev Masand: Roger Ebert, A O Scott, Peter Bradshaw,
Anupama Chopra, Shubra Gupta
Mayank Shekhar: Roger Ebert
Raja Sen: Stephanie Zacharek, Wesley Morris, David Denby
What is your guilty movie pleasure?
Mihir Fadnavis: The Naked Gun series, McGruber
Anupama Chopra: The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Something
About Mary
Rajeev Masand: Salman Khans Hello Brother
Mayank Shekhar: Hangover 1 & 2
Raja Sen:John Woos Face Off