R Madhavan defends stalking in Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, says ‘you won’t meet life partner in a bar, that’s not why you go there’ | Bollywood News
One of the many Bollywood movies that haven’t aged well, director Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001), a remake of his Tamil debut Minnale, has often been criticised for its problematic themes, including the glorification of stalking. Regardless, the ‘romantic’ drama has garnered a cult following over the years, despite underperforming at the box office upon its initial release, largely thanks to the exceptional songs composed Harris Jayaraj and the performances lead stars R Madhavan, Dia Mirza and Saif Ali Khan.
Despite the criticisms Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein has received in recent years, Madhavan feels that the actions of his character Madhav Shastri (alias Maddy), including stalking, are totally justifiable, considering the time period in which the movie is set, when social media did not ex and mobile phones were not yet widespread. “At a time when phones, messages and social media didn’t ex, how would you contact a girl? What was considered decent? If meeting a girl knowing that she’s there, assuming that it’s a decent way to approach, then my father could be accused of stalking. Anybody could be. If it were a love marriage, there was no other way to get in touch with the other person,” he pointed out during a chat with IndiaTV, adding that, the said logic, even sending a letter could be considered stalking.
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Wondering what other ways there were to meet a woman back then, he said, “In our village, we had festivals every month because it was an opportunity for social interaction. How do you meet a girl in a city today? You’re not going to meet your life partner in a bar, right? That’s not why you go there.” He then added, “For a normal, lower-middle-class guy, where is the opportunity to meet a woman in the most decent way? You either meet them during Ganesh Chaturthi or Holi. So, the occasional festivals we had back then were the only opportunities to meet up.”
Madhavan also stated that if he were to write a love story today, he would have no idea how the male character could approach the woman without the situation being tagged as problematic on social media. “All I am saying is, give the boys a chance. Earlier, we used to go to nightclubs. Among 100 guys, two would be immoral — the nastiest of men who gave all of us a bad name touching girls inappropriately. Then there’d be 10 guys who would have the courage to decently approach women. The remaining 60 percent would remain quiet, too afraid to make a move. Now that figure has reached 90 percent, because they’re all afraid to make a move,” he added.
