Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, the Hindi film starring Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra, has been witnessing a steady increase in its ratings on IMDb after its digital release on Amazon Prime Video on May 20. It currently has a rating of 6.1.
The Dibakar Banerjee directorial, that released in cinemas on March 19, opened to poor ratings, low box-office collections, and mixed reviews with a 3.7 rating on IMDb. The film that revolves around Sandeep (played by Chopra) and Pinky (Kapoor), is a dark comedy that mostly focuses on toxic masculinity and gender roles. According to IMDb, the film is about a “man and woman who represent two completely different Indians. They are united in one thing only- their mistrust, suspicion, and hate for each other”.
The ratings escalated from 3.7 on the first day, followed by a 5.7 on the second and third days.
IMDb, or Internet Movie Database, is a user-generated online database platform which provides information on films, television programs, home videos, video games and online streaming content.
It has a trusted base of registered users or “regular voters”, whose ratings out of 10, determine the final rating. To ensure the effectiveness of the voting or rating system, the platform does not disclose the criteria that makes a user a registered one. These anonymous registered users are invited to rate a film on a scale of 1 to 10. An average or weighted mean is taken of the total and is displayed alongside the title of the film.
IMDb user reviews, although mixed, highlight the negative sentiments towards the “nepotistic brigade” of the Hindi film industry. While films like Sadak 2, Khaali Peeli, Laxmmi Bomb, and Coolie No. 1 faced flak due to lack of a storyline, Gunjan Saxena, bore the brunt on IMDb for casting “star kids”, or actors from established families in the industry.
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar fell victim to similar sentiments after its release since both Kapoor and Chopra are related to producer Boney Kapoor and actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, respectively. This was called out by several users on IMDb.
Social media echoed similar sentiments.
How and why the fuck is #SandeepAurPinkyFaraar a 3.8 on IMDB!!!
It's such a terrific, engaging film. Aankhein taras gayi thi hindi film me aise normal log aur aisi tagdi performances dekhne ko.
A D V E R T I S E M E N TThe casting is so spot on!
— The Tall Lebowski (@avnashverma) May 20, 2021
Are you f#cking kidding me ? F@ck of SSR bots , F#ck Indian audiences. You mf deserve shit like Radhe only. #SandeepAurPinkyFaraar deserves better. pic.twitter.com/Vg4XzIYzMD
— Pratap Mishra (@pratmist) May 21, 2021
Most IMDb ratings have come to follow trends or waves or social media driven by a particular sentiment or an established perception.
For example, Wonder Woman 1984 that released in 2020, is the lowest rated DC Extended Universe Film, with an IMDb rating of 5.6; while its prequel Wonder Woman has the highest rating of 7.6. However, it’s performance at the box-office tells a different story, as it managed to make good collections despite releasing amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Similarly, Salman Khan-starrer Radhe, that opted for a simultaneous digital release on ZeePlex along with a theatrical release in select cinemas, is the second-lowest rated Hindi film on IMDb currently standing at 1.8 despite making good collections.
