Madras High Court Rejects Ban on Film Reviews Outside Theatres

The Tamil film industry’s ongoing controversy over reviews and their perceived impact on box office collections has reached new heights following the release of Kanguva, a Suriya-starrer pan-India film reportedly made on a massive ?400 crore budget, which failed to meet expectations.

The Producers’ Council has taken a strong stance, blaming negative reviews and public opinions shared soon after a film’s release for significant financial losses.

The Council requested theater owners to prohibit media interviews or public opinion recording within theater premises.  A plea was filed in the Madras High Court seeking to ban reviews for a week after a film’s release.

In response to the Producers’ Council’s petition, the Madras High Court rejected the request for an outright ban on reviews. The court stated that reviews cannot be entirely prohibited as they fall under freedom of expression. The court suggested that producers who have evidence of malicious intent in reviews causing financial harm could pursue legal action against specific reviewers or platforms. The Notices were issued to YouTube channels and media platforms to provide clarity on the guidelines they follow when creating and publishing reviews.