'Mental Hai Kya' row: Kangana's sister Rangoli defends 'insensitive' posters
Kangana Ranaut's upcoming movie Mental Hai Kya has faced a lot of flak as its title and promotional posters are seemingly insensitive to people with mental illnesses. In response to the criticism, Ranaut's manager and sister Rangoli Chandel claimed the film will make everyone proud. She also dragged Ranaut's "silly ex" (Hrithik Roshan) and Deepika Padukone's depression into the debate. Here's what went down.
What happened: Deepika's foundation spoke against movie, Chandel responded
On Saturday, The Live Love Laugh (TLLL) Foundation, founded by Padukone, criticized Mental Hai Kya for "reinforcing stereotypes" attached to mental illnesses. Chandel responded by calling TLLL's statement "immature" and asked them to "not be Karni Sena" - the Rajput outfit that opposed Ranaut's Manikarnika and Padukone's Padmaavat. She quipped that Ranaut would replace Padukone as "brand ambassador" of TLLL after the film's release.
Chandel jumped to defend 'Mental Hai Kya'
Chandel assured that the audience will love the film
Kangana will replace Padukone as TLLL's brand ambassador: Chandel
A few 'Mental Hai Kya' posters depict self-harm
To recall, Mental Hai Kya also faced flak over its controversial posters. While one poster shows Ranaut and co-star Rajkummar Rao balancing a blade between their tongues, some others depict self-harm. The film stars Ranaut, Rao, Amyra Dastur, Amrita Puri and Jimmy Shergill.
Silly ex, nepotism gang called Ranaut mental, bipolar: Chandel
In another tweet, Chandel detailed how two years ago, Ranaut's "silly ex along with the nepotism gang" called the actress "mental and bipolar," and Mental Hai Kya is her way of fighting against that prejudice. Chandel also stated that she can't reveal the plot of the film, but assured that it will "trigger relevant talk and discussions around the stigma."
'Mental Hai Kya' is derogatory, said Indian Medical Association
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) demanded to modify the film's title and poster stating that it's "derogatory to people fighting mental maladies". They opined the movie "ridiculed people in pain". The statement highlighted Section 92 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, under which publicly insulting a person with a disability is punishable with a jail term.
IPS President questioned 'creativity' of the movie's title
IPS President Mrugesh Vaishnav said, "They may say that you are trying to obstruct our freedom of creative expression... Can we call a title creative that ridicules more than 10% of the population fighting the inner pain of illness along with external discrimination and neglect?"
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