The statement makes no bones about the fact that the FCG believes this was an organised attack on anyone who didn’t offer a glowing review of the film. It claims that its members in recent days have “faced intimidation, including direct threats and vicious online campaigns aimed at silencing their perspectives” for merely expressing their “professional assessment of a film”. Moreover, it also alleges that “there have been attempts to tamper with existing reviews, influence editorial positions, and persuade publications to alter or dilute their stance.”
In a not-so-subtle dig at certain sections of the Hindi film industry that have in the past at criticism of their films, these attacks “come on the back of frequent devaluing and ridiculing of film criticism by a broad spectrum of industry players in the recent past”. However, the statement makes it clear that such interference “strikes at the core of independent film criticism and undermines the editorial autonomy that a functioning cultural ecosystem relies upon”.
Besides warning that policing opinion “sets a dangerous precedent”, the statement disputes the claim that FCG members “have a bias or a political axe to grind”, noting that such claims are “unsubstantiated and malicious”. Furthermore, the statement explains, “Film critics cannot be intimidated for doing their jobs, just as criticism cannot and should not be reduced to a one-line social media reaction or expected to align with promotional narratives.”
More importantly, the statement expresses deep concern “about the safety and well-being of our colleagues from across the country,” and that no one should be vilified for “simply doing their job”. However, the one part of the statement that should be painfully clear to anyone is that “liking or disliking a film is your right, but expecting critics to fall in line is not”.
