Hansal Mehta Responds To Criticism For Praising ‘Misogynistic Film’ Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat

Recently, filmmaker Hansal Mehta was caught in the middle of an online controversy after he celebrated the box office success of his new movie Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, which starred Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa. Within two days, the romantic drama, which opened in theatres on October 21, has earned a net of 16.75 crore in India and 21 crore across the globe. But a section of the social media users were not pleased with the tweet by the filmmaker to congratulate Zaveri, claiming that he was promoting a film that was misogynistic.

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Hansal Mehta is in Trouble Over Congatulating Milap Zaveri

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Hansal wrote, “Hey @MassZaveri, congrats on the roaring success of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat! May you keep charming the masses!" Soon after, a user reshared the post and criticised the Scam 1992 director, calling out what they saw as hypocrisy. The user wrote, “This ‘sensitive, intelligent’ man is busy congratulating the writer-director of those misogynistic films where ‘No’ means ‘Yes’. Calls it a success, not realising how deeply such trash will poison the minds of young viewers. Bravo."

Response of Hansal: Syncretism: If Films Can Poison, They Can Enlighten Too

In his elaborate reply, Hansal justified his claims by asserting that it is the movies alone that do not corrupt or change viewers. He wrote, “One always wishes films could change the world — that Shahid could heal divisions, that Arth could empower, that Saraansh could awaken empathy, that Nil Battey Sannata could inspire a million mothers. That Life is Beautiful could prevent genocide. But alas."

He further cited examples of some of cinema’s most violent gangster films, writing, “Satya didn’t make gangsters out of men. Gangs of Wasseypur didn’t. The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction — none of them did. Or did they?"

Hansal concluded his statement with a sharp retort, adding, “If films can poison, then surely they can enlighten too. Maybe even teach a bit of civility to you. Perhaps even how one colleague can congratulate another on their success without the need for virtue signalling and grandstanding."

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About Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat

Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, directed by Milap Zaveri, tells the story of Vikramaditya (Harshvardhan Rane), an ardent politician who champions the causes of women and children, and falls for Adaa (Sonam Bajwa), an actor with a different take on love and relationships. The movie has been successful with mass audiences, thanks in part to its high-octane dialogue and melodramatic romance, while critics are still divided about the meaning and messages of the film.

Following Hansal Mehta's reaction, his comments have once again sparked the never-ending debate about the social duties of filmmakers, but his position also shows the bigger picture about whether art is ever accountable for how an audience interprets the work or if artistic privilege supersedes all obligations to accountability.

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