BULLETIN OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF BOMBAY for private circulation only | www.rotaryclubofbombay.org Vol. 55 Issue No. 14 Mumbai October 1 to October 7, 2013 Pages 8 Price R3/- Movies are cultural markers and good ones make us better people – Anupama Chopra eing a film critic sounded there are opinions expressed so much fun when I heard every minute. So what makes my BVita Jalaj Dani introduce opinion more valid than yours? me. Wow! I have never heard my It does not really. I think of life described so glamorously. But myself more as a tastemaker, a sort then, it is not half as glamorous. I of consumer guide because I see a want to give you some idea of what lot of films. There is no school one film critics do and what our lives goes to to learn how to be a film are like as far our interlink with critic. I have done a Masters in movies is concerned. Journalism and a film appreciation Everybody is engaged with course. But you become a film cinema in some way and it has a critic only by watching movies. I profound impact on us. We have see about four-five movies every all grown up aping fashions and week and perhaps experience behaviour that we saw in films; for more movies than most people. Indians, Bollywood movies more Thus, I am not necessarily than Western cinema. Bollywood more informed, but perhaps have is a sort of cultural marker that tells a more informed opinion. I am us what’s in and what’s out. So I time watching them. But I think unruly-looking African-Americans just your first line of defence, like think it is important that we look when you see a really powerful walking toward me, I would be a the front row of soldiers. I will at movies with a new perspective. film, it gives you an insight into bit nervous. The film, which is experience a film before you and Late Roger Ebert, one of the life that you did not have before. based on a true incident, made feel I can tell you about whether greatest American film critics, Recently I saw Fruitvale me look at the other side and gave I had a good time or a bad time. once said that of all the arts, Station, which released last week me a different perspective of what I need to give you reasons, to tell movies are the most powerfully- in India and which is about the life is. Again, take for example you why I was bored or why I was aped and that good ones make last day in the life of a 22-year- The Lunchbox, which gave me engaged, and then maybe you can us better people. When you see a old African-American man who is an insight into the harrowing decide whether you want to spend film there is great pleasure and so shot down in Fruitvale station in loneliness of people in this city! three hours and many thousands of people always think film critics the Bay Area of San Francisco. I The question, though, is: rupees that it costs in watching the are snobs who just want to watch consider myself to be evolved and why is a movie critic important. film. I think of myself as testing boring arty movies. I love big loud not racist, but if I was in America Today, in a world of social media, the waters before you. entertaining films and have a great and there was a group of young everybody has a platform and Sometimes I have what I Today’s Speaker (October 1): Ms Meera Sanyal on ‘India at a Tipping Point – Let’s Take a Stand’ October 1 to October 7, 2013 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay 1 call my existential crisis. Who we also do star interviews. We also cares about what I say? I thought do talent interviews, which means Grand Masti was an appalling and that I am interviewing Shahrukh aggressively offensive movie; but Khan on one Friday and the next now it is the fifth biggest hit of the Friday I am ripping his film apart year! It is clear then that I do not and the Friday after that I will agree with most movie-goers in probably see him at school because this case. What I just want to be is his kids are at the same school your movie companion, the friend as mine, and then it is just very that you might want to talk to about awkward. I honestly wish there movies. I also believe that my was some way to not have that tastes are fairly populist. I also had engagement. an existential crisis with Chennai In the US, critics for The New Express, which I did not enjoy at York Times or The New Yorker do all and which is now officially the not interact with the film industry. I biggest hit ever. do not know if it is necessarily more What I look for in a movie objective but you are completely is engagement. Entertainment is removed from the workings of engagement by evoking emotion. the film industry. We do not have The worst movies are the ones that and I am in a state of double that are middle-of-the-road, where compromise because I am also sitting through is a torture. I have, married to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, however, never walked out of a a film director. I am in a sense the film, because it would be unethical. original Trishanku because I have I have a list of movies that are so one foot in and one foot out. I know bad that they are good, so awful what it is like when Vinod’s films that they start to be fun. So there get bad reviews. He does not care are those and there are the really because he thinks he is a genius no good ones. matter what. But it is tough. Like I said, I watch about The thing that many people do four-five films a week, both not remember is that it is finally English and Hindi. The English professional. It is a judgement on are usually shown on a Monday the film that you have created. The or Tuesday, the Hindi ones usually funniest reaction I have ever had said this wrong. review anything my sister makes. on a Thursday. If it is a Yash Raj is from Ram Gopal Verma after The other thing that is These are the ethics I try to follow. film then it is shown on Friday I called his horror film Agyat an important is ethical standards. There are always rumours about morning. All of us run to whatever “awful movie”. We met during Film criticism is finally a point of reviews being bought, but in 20 studio we record in. I record at the premiere of an English movie, view: there is no right and wrong. years no one has tried to offer me Mehboob and have a standing set and I remember he simply looked Ethical standards for critics any money. Finally, as a film critic there. I write the review in the car, at me, screamed loudly and ran in in the West are extremely high. all you have is your credibility. which is an awful way to gauge the other direction. Akshay Kumar The New York Times, for instance, We all have inbuilt biases but we somebody’s work but that is how also does not talk to me because I did not allow Rachel Salts, who should put them on the table and be it is. In America a film is shown hated Rowdy Rathore. Sometimes reviews Hindi movies for the as honest as we can. two weeks in advance for critics to it feels bad that what you do newspaper, to review 3 Idiots I am often asked if film critics mull and write a review and give evokes such response; but what do because I do freelance work for affect the box office. I say clearly the film the respect it deserves. you do? the newspaper and had once had not. I do not have such arrogance as Most filmmakers here do not want Social networking has made coffee with Salts. to say that I am making a difference to do that. I have argued, begged, fans very vocal and sometimes We, on the other hand, live to box office collections. Probably but it does not work. So we end it gets really nasty on Twitter. in an environment where news what I can do is point you in the up writing reviews late Thursday Salman’s fans, for example, really is bought. News content can be direction of a small movie that you night or Friday morning. It is, thus, went after me because I did not bought and everybody knows it. normally would not go to — to a the gut-level response to a movie like Bodyguard. For about two You can buy and it is all official. Lunchbox, to a Ship of Theseus, which for me is usually right. It has weeks after Bodyguard, I had to It is, thus, very important that to the next smaller film that is not happened too often that I have have a bodyguard. we hold ourselves to the highest valuable, worthy and deserves gone back and looked at a film and Film criticism has to be a two- standards.