'Badly affecting earnings;' Tamil producers seek 3-day ban on movie reviews

TFAPA seeks a ban on movie reviews for three days after film release. Producers claim reviewers make personal attacks and spread hatred in the name of movie reviews

Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court seeking a ban on movie reviews for three days after theatrical release, citing negative impacts on movies like Kanguva and Indian 2. 

 

Tamil producers issued a strong statement requesting theatre owners to ban fans' interviews on YouTube channels, after the recently released Kanguva failed to perform as expected at the box office due to a bunch of negative reviews. They are seeking a ban on reviews on social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and X, as it negatively impacts the makers. 

What is the petition?

Vijayan Subramanian, who is fighting for TFAPA, requested the Centre and State government to frame guidelines for online movie critics who review newly released movies on different social media platforms. Justice S.Sounthar will hear the case on Tuesday (December 3). 

 

Producers weren't happy with all the social media movie reviews that impacted movies like Indian 2, Vettaiyan and Kanguva. Producers claimed that reviewers make personal attacks and spread hatred in the name of movie reviews.

TFAPA demands ban on YouTubers in theatres

The council shared a letter on social media demanding theatre owners to ban YouTubers in theatres. The letter further states, “Critics have every right to review movies. But we request all journalists to write film reviews keeping in mind that hatred towards a film should not be sown in the media because of personal malice. It is imperative that all the associations related to the film industry unite and stop this practice by not encouraging them anymore.”

Check the letter here:

 

It is not the first time that such a ban has been demanded by the producers. Last year, Kerala became the first state to ban YouTube reviews for seven days after the release of a film.  This came after the Adyathe Pranayam director, Mubeen Rauf, filed a case alleging that the negative public opinion affected the business of the movie. 

Kanguva, Indian 2 failed due to negative reviews

Recently, Suriya's movie Kanguva failed to capitalise on its decent opening due to negative reviews from social media influencers. Industry tracker Sacnilk declared Kanguva “one of the biggest disasters in Tamil cinema history” as it got bad reviews from moviegoers and critics upon release and failed to perform as expected. 

 

Previously, Kamal Hassan's Indian 2 also didn't perform as expected in the first week and couldn't even cross the Rs 100 crore mark in the first five days, Indian Express reported in July.