Over the years, the 2001’s release Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein has achieved cult status. Starring R. Madhavan and Dia Mirza in the lead roles, the film tells the story of a young man named Madhav (played by Madhavan) who falls in love with a woman named Reena (played by Mirza) but must deceive her into thinking he is someone else in order to win her heart. However, the film has also faced criticism for perpetuating patriarchal norms and stereotypes, particularly it being a “chauvinist” film.
Speaking of the same, recently, R Madhavan has shared his thoughts on the matter. In an interview with The New Indian, Madhavan stated that he and filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon trusted their intuition and created the Tamil film Minnale, which was later remade as RHTDM in Hindi. “Gautham and I followed our gut and made Minnale and that paid off,” he asserted.
He further added, “Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein is one of those films. Of course, we were accused of a lot of things, how we should treat women and stuff like that, which I have my own debates and arguments about, but it worked. The public liked it and it is still talked about.”
During a discussion of his other films, including the Tanu Weds Manu franchise, Madhavan was asked about his character's portrayal as a "henpecked" husband in the film and the character's physical appearance being ridiculed. In response, Madhavan questioned the fairness of laughing at jokes about body weight in Tanu Weds Manu, while simultaneously taking offence to gender politics in Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein.
He said, “A lot of liberties were taken. People who accuse us of being chauvinistic in Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, I can throw the same accusation back at them by saying you guys laugh when I (my character) was called ‘Ye adrak hai, kahi se bhi badh raha hai.’ You think that’s a joke, and it doesn’t hurt a man? I am sure men will equally be sensitive about it.”
He concluded by saying, “Having said that, I don’t feel anything about it… I don’t think we should become hypersensitive. This is largely a Western concept that tries to make ‘so perfect’, but it isn’t. Men and women are flawed in what they do.”
Also Read: R Madhavan thinks Rehnaa Hai Tere Di Mein remake is a ‘brave decision’; wants Kartik Aaryan and Alia Bhatt to play the lead
source https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/r-madhavan-defends-rhtdm-accusations-chauvinism-urges-fans-stop-oversensitive/