By Arundhuti Banerjee (18:24)
Mumbai, Nov 2 (IANS): Although he started his directorial career with the sex comedy "Mastizaade", Milap Zaveri earned popularity and box-office numbers with his next directorial venture "Satyameva Jayate" that faced criticism for showing too much violence. His upcoming film "Marjaavaan", which is a love story, is no different. From breaking bones to brutal bashing, the romantic drama is about a man who will go to any violent extent for his love.
Zaveri says the onus is not on filmmakers to make "socially responsible" films, adding that even the popular cartoon show "Tom & Jerry" is very violent, but children watch it under the supervision of parents.
"I absolutely do not feel that filmmakers have to take up social responsibility. If that was the priority then Quentin Tarantino would have not made films! I see no reason of not showing violence if the script demands," Milaap told IANS.
The question arises over the responsible projection of every emotion, including violence on big screen, because the moving image of cinema amplifies emotions and creates impact on people's mind. In an era when people can get beaten up for food choices in real life, how does he justify violence in cinema?
"A person will kill someone if he wants to, whether he sees it on-screen or in reality. Do people really get inspired to see when watching a film that talks about equality, harmony and love? I am okay with the fact when a film that has violence gets an ‘A' certification by CBFC. Of course, children should not watch blood-bath in cinema at a young age," he replied.
"These days, children are watching ‘Tom & Jerry'. In that show, Jerry bullies and beats the life out of Tom, and parents happily show it to their children. Is it not a way they find violent is cool? But that is wrong. In an impressionable age, it affects psychology. Do we notice that? Do we criticise that?" questioned the film director.
"Marjaavaan" features Siddharth Malhotra, Riteish Deshmukh, Tara Sutaria and Rakul Preet Singh, and is set to release on November 15.