Cartoonist and film critic Madhan, who took a break from reviewing Tamil movies on the small screen, is back with his new show, ‘Madhan Movie Matinee’, aired on Sunday mornings on Puthuyugam TV .
The show has come at a time when Tamil television is moving towards celebrity-driven content, leaving good old film criticism out of the picture.
Last time around, a funny cartoon about a film Mr. Madhan reviewed on his show had riled some filmmakers, who took it personally. “Cartoons could be misinterpreted,” he said.
When asked if younger filmmakers are more tolerant towards honest and informed criticism, the movie critic, who is back from a break he had taken out of health reasons, is sceptical.
Ask him if mindsets have changed with the times and he says, “Frankly, I don’t know. I hope filmmakers are more forthcoming of engaging with film critics.”
He says, “I am not trying to put the filmmaker through cross-examination. I am trying to have a conversation with a filmmaker. That’s all.”
In an age where everybody is a critic or a political analyst, what kind of a role does he hope to play? He has a word of advice for those who write their opinions on Twitter and blogs.
“A lot of directors say that 10 minutes into a movie, fans start tweeting, saying the film is sodhappal . The idea is to keep the satire and fun intact and yet criticise a film constructively. If a blogger is out to criticise a film in order to make a sound argument, it will only help the filmmakers,” says Mr. Madhan.
