Back in 2001, Dia Mirza, following her Miss. Asia Pacific win, instantly became the national crush with the success of Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein. A remake of the Tamil hit Minnale, both films were directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. Given its blockbuster music by Harris Jayaraj, the movie enjoys a cult following amongst the most hopeless romantics. But, had it released in the current climate considering the audiences are more sensitive and aware about maintaining privacy and drawing boundaries, the film would've warranted a lot of criticism.
Dia, who is currently gearing up for the release of her next Dhak Dhak, where she plays Uma, a burqa-clad mechanic, one among the women-led quartet that zooms off on a road-trip to Khardung La Pass in Leh, spoke about the discomfort she felt with co-star R.Madhavan's character Maddy and his stalking ways, in a promotional interview.
The gorgeous actress admits, “I was uncomfortable when Maddy’s character was stalking me. Although Reena (Dia’s character) acknowledges it. She has that moment when she tells him off. What works is that people get past that notion, that it’s okay. In fact Maddy’s character at the end has very strong values. He is respectful, he is kind and he is well-intentioned, most importantly.”
The film shows Maddy follow Reena (Dia's character) and keep track of her whereabouts. He eventually poses as her prospective groom Rajeev, played by Saif Ali Khan, and charms her over. Equally disturbing it is to note that when Reena eventually discovers his truth, Maddy walks up to her and harasses her, claiming that he could've done anything with her, a moment which has proven to be more triggering for a lot of critics.
When asked if she feels that Reena could've made a better choice today, the actress says, “What should I say now. I used to think that Saif is such a good guy, why would she leave him and go. However, that was shown in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. So it’s very interesting that one film shows a particular point of view, while another film shows another point of view. If there’s ever a sequel made, then it’ll be very interesting to see where these people are today.”
Also starring Ratna Pathak Shah, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanjana Sanghi, Dhak Dhak releases in cinemas on Oct 13.
