The roaring success of Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Ra.One’ proves that film critics and journalists of mainstream media cannot mar or make a film, said ace filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

“For the last several days, all newspapers have been consistently writing damning critiques of Ra.One,” said the Dadasaheb Phalke award winner at the DC Books Fair here. “But this did not influence the people who crowded to see the film,” he added.

Adoor recalled that after the screening of one of his films, a journalist had said ‘I am going to kill Adoor today’. “I don’t know what I have done to deserve en execution,” said Adoor.

“I have just made films. Is that a crime? Many journalists labour under this wrong impression that their writing can kill a filmmaker and a film. This is a totally silly notion as has been proved again and again,” he said.

The veteran director added that film criticism as it appeared in the media was totally negative.

“Ideally, a film critic should write about his reaction to the film,” he said. “It requires introspection. It is surely not the ‘execution’ which most people practise.”

Adoor, who released three books penned by film critic C.S. Venkiteswaran, praised the latter for his ‘positive and humble’ approach to films. “CS is not out to execute anyone,” remarked the director. “His approach is wholly positive.”