New Yorker In Bollywood
Hi!BLITZ|August 2016

Not only is Aseem Chhabra the most well-known Indian film critic in New York, he’s also Festival Director of the New York Indian Film Festival and recent author of Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, The Star. He tells Hi! Blitz about the time he pissed off Angelina Jolie’s publicist and the relationships that have soured post a bad review.

- Farhad J Dadyburjor
New Yorker In Bollywood

What’s been the worst kind of bribe you’ve been offered for a review?

I haven’t got any bribe as such but they give you gifts sometimes, really cheesy gifts. Like there was this film called Hitchcock with Anthony Hopkins and we got these really cheesy martini glasses which say ‘Hitchcock’ on it. The film was a big flop. So I thought I should throw it away or give it away to someone because it’s embarrassing to have at home.

The worst reaction to a review received?

I’ve reviewed several Hindi films in the past...and I have to say Salman Khan’s fans used to give the worst gaalis on Twitter. Really the most offensive. And how many people can you keep blocking, after a point your thumb hurts!

What’s been the worst film you ever had to sit through to review?

I literally walked out because I was very offended by the gay characters, or ‘pretending’ to be gay characters in Bol Bachchan. I found it very offensive! So instead of reviewing it, I ended up writing about how some of these Bollywood films make caricatures of gay people.

The worst part of your job as a film reviewer?

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7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Hi!BLITZ の August 2016 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

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