‘Checkmate’ director Ratish Sekhar takes a stand against online movie degrading, says “Trolling is not reviewing”

‘Checkmate’ director Ratish Sekhar has spoken out against the growing trend of online trolling and bullying targeted at movies and their cast and crew.

His comments come in response to a particularly harsh review by an internet critic, who likened the film to a skit, sparking widespread attention.

Addressing this issue, Ratish Sekhar made it clear that such behavior should not be tolerated, emphasizing the damaging impact it has on the creative community.

Ratish shared his thoughts through a video posted on Instagram, where he expressed his frustration with how trolling is often disguised as film criticism. He noted that in Malayalam cinema, there has been an alarming rise in online bullying, often masked as reviews, aimed at garnering popularity and generating revenue.

"Social media algorithms don’t check if the content is genuine; they only care about likes and comments, no matter how they’re earned," he mentioned in his post.

He further elaborated on the importance of constructive criticism in the film industry, highlighting that while free speech is essential, it does not justify the public trolling and bullying of artists or their work. "Reviews should be constructive," Ratish added, urging art lovers and the public to stand against such negative behavior.

Ratish Sekhar’s note read, “Free speech is vital for any society, but it doesn't give anyone the right to publicly troll and bully artists or their work - reviews should be constructive. I’m speaking up against this, and I invite all art lovers to stand with me. Your support matters! #TrollingIsNotReviewing #respectart #StopTrollingStartReviewing #saynotobullying #checkmatethemovie.”

Meanwhile, ‘Checkmate’ is receiving mediocre reviews from the audiences and has only collected Rs 24 lakhs in 4 days.