continues to be a victim of vote-brigading. The recently released film stands at a 1.1 rating on the website IMDb, weeks after a concentrated effort was made to downvote its trailer. Based on over 10000 votes, the film is currently the worst-rated title on IMDb. It’s closest rival is a 2015 Turkish film called Code Name: K.O.Z., which has a rating of 1.3. Sadak 2 has been panned by critics. The Hindustan Times review called it “one of 2020’s worst films.”
There are, however, just 15 registered user reviews of the film on IMDb. “Absolute trash,” one review was headlined. “Is this movie a Joke or what!!!” another user demanded to know. “Intolerable,” and “unspeakable,” were other adjectives used to describe the film, directed by Mahesh Bhatt and starring his daughter Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt and Aditya Roy Kapoor.
Previously, a campaign to make the film’s trailer the most disliked video on YouTube was initiated in the days leading up to its unveiling, by fans of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who died by suicide in June. Sushant’s fans have turned against certain members of the film industry, most notably by ‘insiders’, based on the theory that Sushant was ostracised for being an ‘outsider’.
Sushant’s girlfriend, actor Rhea Chakraborty, in a recent interview confirmed that he was bothered about not being recognised. “Not being nominated for film awards, even after successful and different films like Sonchiriya and Chhichhore – one artistically amazing film and the other, a superhit and amazing film… Even if the film or technicians were nominated, Sushant’s name never featured in the nominations. He was very upset because of that. Even I was upset that why is such a good actor not nominated for such a good film. Sushant felt that someone was behind this Me Too allegation because it was completely absurd,” she told India Today in an interview. “He often felt that even if he does one more film, he will not get that award or such terrible articles would still be written about him. So many fake and terrible blind articles would be written about him. It would take a huge mental toll on him. He used to feel very bad. He felt he was being targeted,” she added.Mahesh Bhatt, a few days before the trailer’s release, had shared a message for fans via his elder daughter Pooja Bhatt. “Today as we begin the last leg of our journey.I feel unshackled! I carry no burden, no weight. No reputation to hold on to. No mission to accomplish. Nothing to prove to anyone. If the film works it belongs to all of you. If it does not, it’s mine,” he said.
