Filmmaker Prem Kumar recently shared his concerns regarding the growing influence of paid reviews in Tamil cinema. Prem was seen having a candid conversation with Telugu director Vivek Athreya, Kannada filmmaker Hemanth Rao, and Malayalam director Christo Tomy in a recent directors’ roundtable, where he spoke about the increasing trend of negative campaigns against films.Prem Kumar about negative campaign against movies
Speaking at the South Directors Roundtable during the 7th Indian Screenwriters Conference, Prem strongly criticised what he sees as the harmful impact of “negative reviews” during the crucial first week of a film’s release.“Negative reviews have become a big problem in Tamil cinema. It’s getting worse day by day, week after week,” he said. The 96 director drew a clear distinction between traditional film critics and the current wave of online reviewers. “We used to have reviewers. The breed we have now are not reviewers; their target is different. It’s very uncivilised — the language they use, the way they speak, and what they target,” he remarked.Prem Kumar slams paid reviewersThe filmmaker went on to accuse many of these reviewers of having questionable motives. He claimed they attempt to influence the box office performance of films in the first week.He believes that most of these reviewers affect the box office collections during the first week, and later, producers approach them for their next project. He added that 90 percent of the reviews circulating on social media are now paid, and this heavily influences people’s decision on whether to watch a film or not. “I hope producers come up with a regulation for this,” Prem added.Prem Kumar’s projectsPrem Kumar’s recent film Meiyazhagan, featuring Arvind Swami and Karthi, received a warm reception from both fans and critics. He is now gearing up to helm the much-anticipated sequel to 96, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan.
