After Dev. D! : The Young India

Santa Singh

Khalid Mohammed and Anurag Kashyap

Cinema should inspire new thoughts and discourage blind adherence to custom. Right?

If you accept the compliments of somebody, then you must also accept their abuses. Fair.
When a critic tells you that you are a non-understandable movie-maker, you take offence and abuse and rant about the critic, in this case a well-known film-critic. But then he tells you that your latest film is amazing and you thank him!

Something is amiss. Aren’t you, then, directly telling the film-critic that he must praise your films or else you will abuse his thoughts?

Surprisingly, this well-known critic is being thanked and garlanded for liking Anurag Kashyap’s latest movie ‘Dev. D’.

Here’s how it goes.
Some time back:

John Abraham

Actor John Abraham to Anurag, after a movie and John’s performance got a bad review from critic and film-maker Khalid Mohammed.

John:

“why Khalid mohammed has to write such mean things about me?Just because i refused to do his film? Well i did what my director asked me to do?”

Anurag:

“Don’t let him worry you john..the man doesn’t know his ass from his mouth..and he has already proven it thrice..”

[Source]

And now, after Anurag’s Dev. D, guess who thanks Khalid when he writes a good review? Yes, it is Anurag Kashyap.

“bloody awesome.. i log on and pop.. there is your review.. thank you so much.. now it seems complete.. thank you and am so glad you like it.. drinks on me..”

Something may have transpired between them during the release of the two films. Perhaps. But I don’t think that “the man doesn’t know his ass from his mouth..and he has already proven it thrice..” can change.

Let all of us be reminded that Khalid gave popcorn films like ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ a five star rating. And Dev. D gets a four star. And Anurag is thanking him and promising him some drinks.

“Now it seems complete“, says Anurag. Oh well.
Was he waiting for some kind of approval?

Most importantly, the ‘fans’ are following Anurag.
Aren’t they being fooled? Who, you ask. Those people who write in the comments section; bloggers, doctors, artists who claim to be ardent admirers of genuine cinema; now they are being part of the herd mentality:

‘Let’s wait and see if our favourite chap likes or dislikes this critic. We’ll accordingly change and respond’.

Share This Story