Before the release of Bol Bachchan, director Rohit Shetty said in an interview that he loves it when reviewers “thrash” his films, describing the bad reviews as his good luck charm. In the trailer for Sachin Yardi’s Kya Super Kool Hain Hum, there’s the proud announcement that it is “a film that will get no stars”. The point being made by both is that what a critic praises is what the paying public ignores. It’s a curious theory because in the list of popular subjects, film is somewhere near the top. You’d imagine Friday reviews and Bollywood features wouldn’t grab as many eyeballs if a large number of people didn’t respect film critics’ opinions.

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Yet, if you listen to directors like Rohit Shetty and their fan base, then critics are irrelevant. Their opinions make no difference to the box office figures and they’re biased in favour of non-mainstream cinema. Often, it seems that the less commercial it is, the more likely that the film will get a good review. Or, as someone who works in a production house once said to me, “these reviewers are all just intellectual wankers. Give them some black and white or jerky, hand-held footage and it becomes intelligent cinema and the critics are gasping for breath.”

While that’s a bit harsh, a case could be made for critics being more forgiving of mistakes when a film isn’t conventionally commercial. Indie cinema barely exists in the technical sense since most films that release in Indian theatres are backed by commercial production houses. However, increasingly, we’re seeing films that aren’t formulaic. These could be by star directors like Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee or newcomers like the duo of Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK. What these directors have in common is gushing praise from critics.

One look at the films that have had reviewers falling to their metaphorical knees in delight and it becomes obvious that critics are happy with a director who doesn’t make mainstream movies. Rarely do reviewers point out the flaws in “indie” films, choosing instead to hold them up as examples of excellence and freshness. 

Few non-mainstream movies actually reach commercial screens and when they do, critics seem to be so overwhelmed by the exception to the usual Bollywood rule that the critical thinking that tears apart pop pulp turns into adoration for The Ones Who Didn’t Conform. There were enormous loopholes in Shor In The City; the pace of Shanghai’s plotting didn’t allow the audience to connect with any of the characters; the humour in Delhi Belly was frequently cringe-inducingly crude. The critics didn’t care. They urged viewers to see these films as examples of cinematic brilliance. It’s as though the four- or five-star rating is for the director’s intentions rather than the actual film. 

You have to wonder if it wouldn’t be better for Indian indie cinema if reviews were less effusive. When you read a review that’s drenched in praise and the film ends up to be strictly average, you spot a bias. If this or the opposite (where the critic savages a film you enjoy) keep happening, then eventually you stop trusting the critic. Which seems to be stage at which Rohit Shetty and Sachin Yardi find themselves. Fortunately or unfortunately, their fan base isn’t likely to look up a review before deciding which film to watch. Indie enthusiasts, on the other hand, probably would pay attention to what the critics thought. Let’s hope the quality of the films start matching up to the enthusiastic praise from the critics.

Deepanjana Pal is books editor. This does not stop her from having opinions on a variety of subjects unrelated to books.