Change Mental Hai Kya title: Indian Psychiatric Society writes to CBFC on Kangana Ranaut film
Kangana Ranaut had personal reasons for choosing the script of her upcoming film Mental Hai Kya, one of them being that she wished to break the stigma of 'being different'. However, the actress, who has herself been shamed as 'mental' or 'psycho' by many in Bollywood, has gotten herself into trouble over the title of her new film.
Psychiatrists and mental health experts have slammed the name of the film for being derogatory to those suffering from mental illnesses. Members of the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) have expressed their disappointment by writing a letter to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
In a letter addressed to Prasoon Joshi (CBFC chairman), the IPS has stated that it objects to a "number of issues", as the film seems to violate many sections of the Mental Health Care Act, 2017. For the unitiated, Mental Heath Care Act, 2017, is an act to provide for mental healthcare and services for persons with mental illness and to protect, promote and fulfil the rights of such persons during delivery of mental healthcare and services.
In the letter, the organisation has argued that the posters of Mental Hai Kya depict mental illness in poor light, said a report in PTI. The title of the film makes a derogatory remark towards those people who suffer from mental disorders, says the letter. The letter reads, ''We take serious objections to the title of the movie which is discriminative, stigmatising, degrading and inhuman in projecting mental disorders and persons who suffer from mental disorders.''
"We strongly demand the title to be removed with immediate effect preventing further damage to the modesty of mental health service users,'' reads the letter. The members of IPS are also apprehensive about the content of Kangana and Rajkummar's upcoming film. They have also demanded to censor the scenes that violate the act.
''We also demand to censor any sequence that is violating the rights of persons with mental disorder. We presume this letter as a legal warning to any such events, currently or in future, subjective that comes under the purview of CBFC," it goes on to read. On April 17, Balaji Motion Pictures (the makers) took to Twitter to share the new poster of Mental Hai Kya, featuring Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao. The actors are shown balancing a blade on their tongues in the poster.
"Get ready for craziness that cuts through,'' the poster was captioned. Apparently, it didn't go down well with netizens, including various psychologists and mental health experts across the country. In no time, they started pointed out the need to change the title and slammed the makers for reinforcing the stigma related to mental issues in the society. With Mental Hai Kya, Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao are reuniting on screen after five years of their film Queen (2014). Produced by Ekta Kapoor under the banner of Balaji Motion Pictures, the upcoming film will clash with Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani's Kabir Singh. Both the films are set to hit the theatres on June 21.