The Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) requested the Madras High Court to ban online reviews for the first three days of a film’s release. However, Madras HC dismissed the plea, stating film reviews fall under free speech, and it cannot ban them.
The Madras High Court just said “no” to a request from the film producers’ group (TFAPA) that wanted to stop online movie reviews for the first three days when a film is out.
Madras High Court dismisses Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) Request
The court basically said, “Look, telling people they can’t review a movie is like stopping them from speaking freely, and that’s a basic right.” They also pointed out that in today’s world, with everyone on social media, you can’t really stop people from sharing their opinions.
The honorable court even joked that if judges get criticized online, film producers cannot expect only good reviews. However, the producers argued that while some reviews are fair, many YouTube channels just use rude language to get more followers.
So, they wanted the court to step in and stop these “review bombs” right after a movie comes out to protect their business.
But the court felt that even if it agreed to this, it would be impossible to actually enforce. So, they just threw out the request.
The debate about whether online reviews can be controlled or not has been going on for a few years across film industries.
But one thing is clear. In these social media days, no one controls sharing their opinion, be it good or bad on social media. That is why the Madras HC dismissed the plea of TFAPA, stating film reviews fall under free speech, and it cannot ban them.