Truth be told, I didn’t think Tanu Weds Manu Returns deserved the superfluous outpouring of love it got from film critics and audiences at the time of its theatrical release. So, when I scoured the web looking for validation for my disdain for the film – as a sophisticated cinephile does – I was relieved to find at least one writer who agreed with me. His name was Rahul Desai and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t grinning like an idiot while reading his subtly scathing review for the piece-of-shit film.
Days later, several Indian media outlets reported that a film critic quit the newspaper he was working at, over the newspaper tampering with his two and a half rating for Tanu Weds Manu Returns and changing it to three and half stars to appease its readers. The newspaper cited “further research and reader feedback” as the dubious reason.
The critic turned out to be Rahul. Quelle surprise.
Rumors about studios paying film journalists to cough up stellar reviews for their films have always been making the rounds in Bombay. But a journalist sticking to his principles and taking a firm stand against this rampant malpractice makes Rahul something of a conscious contrarian.
He is now a regular contributor at Film Companion, an online film platform created by the Doyenne of Bollywood journalism, Anupama Chopra, reviewing and deconstructing both Indian and non-Indian films alike in a unique prose that can be described as a distilled blend of freshness and sincerity.
I got hold of him a few months ago to talk to him about some issues that were on my mind including ethics exhaustion in Indian journalism, film in 2019 and how the far-right populist streak coursing through the world has somehow reached Bollywood of all places.
I first wanted to ask Rahul about that infamous newspaper incident, “I was young, fresh in journalism, had no formal training. The sad thing is that it still happens today. It’s quite common for editors to allow the “entertainment” section in their papers to fall by the wayside. Most (young journalists) just bite the bullet and stay.”
2018 saw a revival of interest in Bollywood films due to fresher fare like Andhadun
Reflecting on his stance, Rahul says, “I’m glad someone threw down the gauntlet.”
Since 2018 was a watershed year for Bollywood in that it saw people returning to movie theaters en masse after a financially stagnant 2017, I wanted to know Rahul’s two cents on this tectonic shift, “Honestly, nothing’s changed except ticket prices which have gone up astronomically in India. Some urban theaters in the country charge an exorbitant amount of money on first day showings. I know of a couple of theaters in Matunga (an area of Bombay with a predominantly South Indian community) that charge as much as INR 800 for the first day of release of a Rajnikanth movie.”
I wanted to agree with Rahul but I’m not sure if the gap between ticket prices in 2017 and 2018 was that drastic. The general consensus is simply that 2018 offered superior cinematic output than 2017 with inspired films like the spy period drama Raazi, the female emancipation flick Veere Di Wedding and the Coen Brothers-esque Andhadun.
Another commonly held belief today is that the general Indian public no longer dismisses film critics as elitist art house snobs and are now relying on their opinions for what films to catch on the multiplex. If film critics collectively trash a film then the masses are less inclined to watch it.
“Film reviews still don’t have the power to change a film’s business. Older generations don’t care about film reviews, they still rely on word-of-mouth. Younger generations are starting to care but a young person just has one go-to film critic whose reviews they read.”
If that’s the case then Rahul has been my go-to Bollywood film critic – I don’t watch a questionable Bollywood film unless Rahul gives it the green light! This has been the case for me ever since I knew he shared my indifference for Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Dangal (yes I hated Dangal, don’t come after me).
I also wanted to talk to Rahul about politics; it’s nearly impossible to discuss Bollywood in 2019 seriously without acknowledging the rise and rise of toxic nationalism in India and its impact on the Hindi film industry.
And I figured Rahul would be the best person to talk to about this. Born and raised in Ahmedabad to a Hindu family, his family moved to Bombay after witnessing first hand the horrifying 2003 Gujarat pogrom which resulted in the grisly deaths of hundreds of mostly Muslim, but also Hindu, Indians. “My family couldn’t take it anymore. We had to leave.”
With no less than four high-profile nationalist Bollywood films releasing in 2019 – biopic, Thackeray, about Marathi right-wing demagogue, Bal Thackeray, who notoriously claimed that “Muslims are a cancer to India”, PM Narendra Modi, The Accidental Prime Minister and Uri: The Surgical Strike – it’s clear that the Hindi film industry is kowtowing to a certain demographic.
“The atmosphere right now in Bollywood holds a strong whiff of the current administration. The GOI (Government of India) has without a doubt infiltrated the craft of film making.”
The Accidental Prime Minister – right wing propaganda is all the rage now in Bollywood.
This all started with Padmaavat. The violent maelstrom surrounding the PG-rated epic film last year was unprecedented in Bollywood – or even Hollywood- history. Caste organizations and members on both sides of the Indian political aisle not only called for the banning of the film across the country based on a completely meritless rumor, but one right-wing politician went so far as to place a bounty on lead actress, Deepika Padukone’s head!
What’s disturbing is that some Bollywood actors are taking advantage of this new-found nationalism, and the sectarianism it spawned, to either kickstart their careers (Vicky Kaushal) or revive their deteriorating ones (John Abraham, Akshaye Khanna and Vivek Oberoi).
“Akshay Kumar started the trend with Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and other actors are now following suit.” says Rahul.
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Akshay Kumar’s 2016 blockbuster hit, revolved around PM Narendra Modi-ji’s Swachh Bharat, or “Clean India,” mission of constructing 111 million latrines in India in five years. The film tackled the serious issue earnestly and Akshay Kumar was deservedly commended for his efforts. His later releases, Airlift, Padman and Gold were all made in the same patriotic, at times grating, vein with the criminally underrated Padman, about the lack of affordability of menstrual pad for everyday Indian women, being the best and boldest of the lot.
But whereas Kumar could be accused of merely testing the turbulent waters raging across the country, others are diving head first into it with relish.
How IS the josh, Vicky?
Rahul insists that “as long as the current ruling party are in power, Bollywood will keep churning out films that reflect its manifesto.”
Like many Indians and Indophiles like myself, Rahul is visibly upset about what’s happening in his country and the hijacking of the Hindi film industry he grew up with and loves.
It’s no wonder that, even though the Khans are still very much the biggest stars in Bollywood, that last month, when PM Modi-ji invited Bollywood stars to New Delhi – to discuss a reduction of the GST tax on film tickets – no Muslim was invited to the meeting.
CATCH RAHUL DESAI’S WORK: www.filmcompanion.in/author/rahul-desai/
FOLLOW HIM ON @rahuloness AND TWITTER @ReelReptile.
