Like many a film buffs, I too swear by Variety. After all, it is the mecca for every cine-goer and lover. Thus, to see it falter is painful.
David Chute, a film critic and journalist with Variety, has been reviewing Asian cinema. Needless to say, a large part of these are Bollywood releases. And this is where I ask, why? Why does Variety not employ the knowledge and expertise of an Indian art critic or journalist to review Indian releases?
Chute's latest review of Gunday praises the filmmaker, Ali Abbas Zafar, and the art director, Rajat Poddar, citing examples that prove his limited knowledge of the country and, further, minuscule information about the different cultures and rituals of the country. When a film critic cites the example of 'a pivotal Holi celebration' scene, then I doubt the credibility and effort of the writer because the cited scene is a wrong depiction of a different Indian ritual (Durga immersion on the last day of Durga Puja) that is not even remotely connected with Holi.
Chute hits the bulls-eye in recognizing the hit Yash Raj movies that make for inspirations in Gunday. But to praise the art director, Rajat Poddar, for perfectly recreating a detailed coal mine, a la Kala Patthar, is no less than missing the woods for the trees. The perfect coal mine can in no degree make up for the inconsistencies in the production design that depict the city of Kolkata and its culture with every possible cliche that you can find in a guide book.
When a reputed publication takes lightly the importance of research and authenticity, then plagiarism and uninformed news, might as well become the order of the day.
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