The producers of Bell Bottom, the film that is supposed to turn around the post-Covid theatre fortunes, in all their economic wisdom flew the Mumbai critics to Surat on a chartered flight, to view their precious film. The reason for their exceptional hospitality being the continuing lockdown of movie theatres in Maharashtra.What I couldn’t understand is, why couldn’t the critics in Mumbai be shown the film at a private screening in the city itself ? Why fly them out of the city? And what could the poor critics do except respond to the producers’ generosity with generous 4-star reviews?If the truth be told, Bell Bottom is a middling thriller: neither terrific enough to be considered anywhere near path breaking (Akshay has done a far better rescue thriller Airlift) nor awful enough to be dismissed as hokum. The truth about the merit of the film lies somewhere in-between. But film criticism in Bollywood and in India is all about pleasing your friends in the film industry.
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