The Diwali release Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat has managed to be a big hit. However, a section of the audience has had reservations with the actions of the male protagonist and how he goes all out to win the girl he loves, even she is not interested in him.
In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, writer-director Milap Zaveri opens up on the criticism.
EXCLUSIVE: Milap Zaveri on Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat criticism: ‘This is the era of Animal and Kabir Singh; audiences love flawed heroes’; reveals Harshvardhan Rane took cue from Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Even when I’m bad…’ quoteMilap Zaveri said, ‘I knew there would be diverse views but the fact is that this is the era of Animal and KabirSingh where audiences have accepted such characters with open hearts. Even though they are flawed, their heart is in the right place.’
He further said, ‘Look at Shah Rukh sir in Anjaam and Darr. The torture and trouble that Shah Rukh sir puts Madhuri ma’am through in Anjaam is irredeemable. Maybe, that is also the reason why the film failed. Harshvardhan Rane had told me about a beautiful line from one of Shah Rukh sir’s interview where he said, ‘Even when I am bad, I’ll make you love me’! Harsh took an inspiration from that line. He told me, ‘Even thought I am bad, I’ll try my best to be lovable’.’
Milap Zaveri also revealed, ‘Harsh contributed a lot to the script. The mother was there in the plot but the whole angle of mother choosing him in childbirth and the truth that he comes to know in the pre-climax was the idea of Harsh. With our permission, he developed a back story of his character. Similarly, he insisted on the ‘Mujhe meri Deewaniyat ki kasam’ dialogue in the first half when his father is ill-treated. This is the reason why people are crying for him.’
The reason behind the ‘A’ rating
Bollywood Hungama was the first one to break the news that Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat was given an ‘A’ certificate. It surprised a lot of people as many felt that the film could have been given a U/A 16+ certificate.
Milap Zaveri explained, ‘I knew that I would get an adults-only rating because of the interval block. This is the reason I wanted to complete the censor process in advance so that I could fight the censor rating. Unfortunately, we shot ‘Dil Dil Dil’ late as the rights took time. So, I didn’t get time to put my point and go to the Revising Committee. I argued my best and managed to convince them on many other scenes. But they had reservations on the interval scene and that’s how we got the ‘A’ rating.’
He also said, ‘Then I thought that I would not allow my ten year old son to watch the film because of the interval. So, me and my producers were okay with it.’