Bhumi Pednekkar has never shied away from speaking her mind, and in a recent conversation, the actress reflected on the evolving culture of film criticism and how audiences today have become far more vocal and judgmental about movies. Sharing her candid thoughts on mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist, Bhumi expressed concern about the growing noise around reviews and the diminishing space for nuanced critique.
“I don`t know if there`s a lot of critical thinking in the movies today. There`s been a big shift in the way people speak of films and critique films. I feel like today everybody is a critic,” she said, pointing to the rapid transformation in how films are evaluated.
Bhumi Pednekkar questions the credibility of criticism
Bhumi questioned whether all opinions are rooted in a deep understanding of cinema. “I`m not sure whether many critics today come from a sound understanding of cinema. Film is a serious study, at Whistling Woods, we were taught film appreciation as a legitimate course. That grounding matters, whether you`re a DOP, actor, or editor. Without it, criticism can become voyeuristic and overly personal, and I feel only a few credible voices remain.”
Looking back at the early days of her career, the actress admitted that reviews once held special meaning for her. “When I started, I would wait for reviews, it was such a high for me. The reason I went through my Sonchiriya experience was that I had reviewers that I loved and critics that I loved who even loved the film.”
However, she believes the industry’s focus has now shifted heavily toward opening day numbers. “Today, a film`s success, the majority of it, is dependent on your Friday, and I don`t even know how much of that is real anymore. You`ve already decided the fate of a film by its opening numbers. When did that happen? When did opening numbers matter?”
Bhumi Pednekkar sheds light on harsh social media criticism
Elaborating further, Bhumi said, “By critics, everybody is a critic today on the internet.” She also addressed the influence of social media, noting how extreme opinions tend to dominate online conversations.
The actress appeared particularly concerned about the impact this environment has on smaller films. “I think that the mid-sized and small films were always meant to be word-of-mouth films. All the films that I`ve done are word-of-mouth films. Rajkumar Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana, mine, a lot of our actors, our careers were made because of these word-of-mouth films.”
Explaining how the system once worked, she added, “Which means that on a Friday, a film did a smaller number but was accepted. You gave the film an opportunity, and it grows from there. They would stay in theatres for, two weeks or three weeks, and it would do a good number, right, a good number for what that film deserves.”
Today, she feels those chances are disappearing. “You don`t give a film an opportunity; that`s why you have good films. Laapata, for example, that maybe did not get a large number on that Friday, but you`ve not given that film an opportunity, and that breaks my heart.”
Bhumi also spoke about the larger transition the industry is undergoing. “I feel the Hindi film industry is going through a massive transition. If I could make one wish as a member of the fraternity, it would be for us to move away from PR-fuelled narratives. It’s exhausting and often leaves little room for newer voices. Today, there’s this perception that unless a film earns big numbers, it isn’t worth watching. The internet has become the wild, wild west, it’s a crazy space to navigate.”