In a strongly worded statement issued today, the Film Critics Guild of India (FCG) has condemned the “targeted attacks, harassment, and hate directed toward film critics” for their reviews of Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh.  

“What began as disagreement has rapidly devolved into coordinated abuse, personal attacks on individual critics, and organised attempts to discredit their professional integrity,” it said. 

Established in August 2018, the FCG currently has 57 members across 13 cities who review films and series for print, digital platforms and radio. Anupama Chopra, whose video review of Dhurandhar on The Hollywood Reporter India has gone private for reasons unknown, currently serves as the chairperson of the FCG. Sucharita Tyagi, an independent film critic, serves as vice-chairperson, and Bharathi Pradhan of Lehren.com as treasurer. Every year, the FCG hands out Critics' Choice Awards for feature films, web series, short films, and documentaries.   

In the past week, the reaction of the right-wing online ecosystem to the not-so-glowing reviews of Dhurandhar has been both jarring, nasty and vicious at times.

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 lashed out 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”. 

The statement concludes with this point: “This moment demands collective reflection. At stake is more than a single film. The integrity of cultural discourse depends on the ability of critics to speak freely and without fear. We call for restraint, respect, and a commitment to the principles that allow art, debate, and criticism to coexist.”