7/3/13

Shobhaa De's opinion of Raanjhanaa is absurd and myopic, says director Aanand Rai - Entertainment - DNA

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Shobhaa De's opinion of Raanjhanaa is absurd and myopic, says director Aanand Rai
Wednesday, Jul 3, 2013, 6:30 IST | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA Subhash K Jha

Columnist Shobhaa De recently trashed Raanjhanaa (see below). She felt that the film glorifies stalking, slitting wrists and has useless political commentary. Director Aanand Rai defends his baby, How do I respond to this? I dont even want to react to an opinion so absurd and myopic. Has she seen Varanasi, felt its pulse? Does she know what the city is all about? Does she understand the feelings of the young in the small cities where two people still cannot go out on a date? Theres a life beyond metropolises that some people who have grown up in the metros cannot understand. And I dont see the need to explain myself to them. Its different cultural breeding. In a small town pursuing a girl, until she says yes, is a sign of true love? How I treat the theme of love is entirely up to me. I dont discuss how
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7/3/13

Shobhaa De's opinion of Raanjhanaa is absurd and myopic, says director Aanand Rai - Entertainment - DNA

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she (Shobhaa De) treats love in her books and column. For some people smooching even in public is normal. For my characters even saying, I love you is an uphill task. MONEY SCI & DNA You ENTERTAINMENT handle TECH PIX your relationships your way. Ill treat mine the way I want to.

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About the death of the hero in the film, he says, He dies a hero. What I love about my hero Kundan is that he dies happily for love. I couldve brought him back to life. But I dont think Kundan wanted to come back. There had to be a closure to his love. When I visited Chandan theatre, the gatekeeper kept asking me, Kundan will come back na. Hes in a coma? Hell return in the sequel? His face fell when I had to cruelly tell him Kundan was not in a coma and that there would be no sequel. Nobody wanted Kundan to die. But Kundan didnt want to live. Everyone except one columnist seems to have taken Kundan home. He refused to go home with her." What Sho b haa De said (exc erpts) So everybody is going ga-ga over a movie about a demented stalker harrowing an innocent victim, and calling it a sweet love story! Excuse me! Raanjhanaa is such a ridiculously confused film, it really requires better (and deeper) analysis than the mindless raves it has received. The movie actually glorifies a dangerous social crime (stalking) and makes a hero out of a man who ruins so many lives because the girl he loves does not love him back! What starts off as an innocent schoolboy crush on a neighbourhood beauty is soon

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Shobhaa De's opinion of Raanjhanaa is absurd and myopic, says director Aanand Rai - Entertainment - DNA

converted into a full blown obsession that will stop at nothing not even death. Dhanush (talented, vaghera-vaghera ...BUT!) is shown hounding poor Sonam (a commendable performance) in a manner so crude and relentless, it is a wonder she doesnt push him off the nearest cliff.... Of course, the plot goes all over the place trying to convince us about the nobility of his single minded passion. But wait a minute the beautiful, educated Muslim girl simply aint interested in this scrawny, scruffy, semi-literate son of the local Hindu priest... The second half is devoted to a half-assed political commentary. Through all this convoluted mess, Dhanush the Stalker remains crazily focused on tormenting Sonam and her folks. Is this fair? Is this even love?

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