If you read movie reviews regularly then you must have felt confused and irritated at how often it could be completely misleading. These false reviews posted by social media influencers and vloggers with huge following can have a big impact on how the movie does at the box office. A lot of times they specifically target movies from particular filmmakers. Kerala Police have booked several such movie reviewers and vloggers after a petition filed by a filmmaker.
This is the first time such a legal measure has been taken against film critics who have rallied against a specific movie by posting negative reviews and using even abusive language. The accused involved movie critics, youtubers and influencers. The complaint was logged by Ubaini E whose recently released Malayalam movie Rahel Makan Kora, became a target of these critics.
The Kerala High Court had issued a notice to CBFC after a petition was filed seeking transparent guidelines for film critics and vloggers. According to one of the filmmakers, these targeted attacks have a significant impact on film’s earning which affects the livelihood of everyone involved in the process.
This comes as a warning to independent YouTubers who are self proclaimed film critics. Having no legal repercussions led to a situation which allowed them to post manipulative content. This may set a precedent that would discourage them from posting negative reviews.
One of the accused in this case had even threatened the petitioner with further damage if they take any legal action against them. The social media platforms have also been booked in this case for hosting these reviews. The move is an attempt to limit fake reviews on the internet. These fake reviews have a big impact on a movie’s rating and manipulate the run of the film at the box office.
