'Atrangi Re' Was Never About Mental Illness For Me, Clarifies Aanand L Rai On Film's Criticism!
Defending the plot and his movie, Aanand L Rai spoke to PTI and clarified that the movie's sole purpose was to explore a mad world of 'love'.
Director Aanand L Rai isn't new to criticism. His films have always been a topic of discussion for cinema fans. Be it his 2013 movie Raanjhana, which drew flak for its take on stalking, or his recently released 'Atrangi Re,' which was criticized for its take on mental health.
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What was the movie about?
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The romantic-musical-drama was written by Rai's long-time collaborator Himanshu Sharma, starring Sara Ali Khan and Dhanush. With Akshay Kumar in a special appearance, the film was described as a twisted and complex love triangle.
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In the movie, the 26-year-old Sara plays Rinku Sooryavanshi, a child born out of an interfaith marriage who lives with the trauma of losing her parents at a young age.
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After another failed attempt at running away from her maternal family home in Bihar, Rinku is forcefully married to a Tamil man Vishu (Dhanush). Still, they plan to part ways once they reach Delhi, where she hopes to meet her lover called Sajjad (Kumar).
Defending the plot and his movie Atrangi Re, Aanand L Rai spoke to PTI and clarified that the movie's sole purpose was to explore a mad world of 'love'.
He was quoted as saying,
"It is only love. When we talk about Rinku. There was a big section of people who were talking about mental illness. It was never that for me. That was not the only thing I was trying to come up with. What I was trying to come up with was that only love can bring you out of a lot of complications..."
He added that there is no logic behind why people fall in love. He adds,
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"We have become very smart and intelligent. We want to analyze everything. These are tough times, and we want to give logic to falling in love. It is so unfortunate. The only thing that can defy logic is love."
Rai, who was earlier applauded for sketching interesting characters from hinterland India in films like the 'Tanu Weds Manu' series and 'Raanjhanaa,' said his previous work love is the driving force for both lead characters Rinku and Vishu.
He further points out that there is a reason why Rinku belongs to Siwan, a city in Bihar. He adds,
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"We wanted to create that world, and we wanted to have those things which were or are there. We dealt with the problems that the region is going through or was going through."
Rai, who returned to movies after his 2018 debacle Zero, said what the critics are calling "trauma" can be someone's entire life.
He added,
"Rinku was living a life the way she wanted to. From our perspective, she was going through something. But from her perspective, she was beautifully living her own life with her father around. There was no problem for her, but it was a problem for us to see her like this."
Rai said he wasn't surprised by the criticism. He said, "I was deep down was ready for this."
The director, however, agreed that when he narrates a story about mental illness in the future, he will "deal with it differently."
"The day I make a film on the issue itself, then it is something else. But here, the character is very casual about that. She believes in it."
He also answered the question that many have been wanting to ask Rai. Did the team consult a medical professional before releasing their film? To which Rai said,
"We had that session. The story to tell was what love is all about. But how much to use that (mental health) perspective was our call."
Calling 'Atrangi Re,' an attempt to celebrate the "magic of love," he added, "We have been so calculative about our emotions. Let's keep other things on the calculator and not love."
Despite the negative reviews and people's polarised views on his film, he is satisfied. Rai added,
"I am happy with the reaction of the audience, their likes, and dislikes. I am liking every bit of it, and I am making a note of it. It is overwhelming."
Rai's Atrangi was released on December 24 on Disney+ Hotstar.
(With inputs from PTI)
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