Watch the film before judging it: Kanika Dhillon

Mumbai: Screenplay writer Kanika Dillon’s next Hindi film Mental Hai Kya has stirred up a fair amount of controversy around its title.  Indian Psychiatric Society has objected on the title of the film, which they perceive to be insensitive towards people struggling with mental health.  However, Kanika believes that one must watch the film before jumping to conclusions.

“We should allow every story a fair chance. We need to be patient if we want a story to spread awareness about a delicate issue. The fact that almost everyone out there has started opening up about self-harm and sensitivity is definitely a step in the right direction.  People needs to stop jumping to conclusions before time. Ideally, one should wait to watch a film before passing judgements, right?” said Kanika, who has also written the screenplay of the popular Telugu film Size Zero.

Deepika Padukone happens to be the first in the industry to establish an organisation for those struggling with mental health issues. Kanika believes that a film can only help the cause. “Lately, we’ve had to bring big celebrities to even acknowledge the gravity of mental health issues, so if there is a story which talks about it, that can only help the cause. Besides, although people are becoming increasingly aware of mental illnesses, not many have been very forthcoming about the subject,” she explained.  

The film’s title was announced in 2018 following which, its makers went on to release multiple teasers  and posters. However, objections were raised only earlier this month. “Nobody reacted to the movie’s title when it was announced, mostly because there was nothing to react to. However, after the film’s teasers and posters were released, it was clear that the characters in the film suffered from some sort of mental illness and that the title was a reflection of that. In my opinion, it’s quite immature to be nitpicking over just the title and posters of the film,” Kanika argued.

Kanika further explained how any film can be branded incorrectly if not given a fair chance. “Take the film Uri for example. From the first look of its poster, which depicted a man holding a gun, one could have conveniently assumed that the film was promoting violence. And as far as cinema is concerned, every violent sequence and every bullet fired can be harmful. I could call attention to a number of issues in posters of many upcoming films, but I’d rather not judge a book by its cover.”