23 October,2025 03:37 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Hansal Mehta and Milap Zaveri
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta found himself in the middle of a social media debate after a simple congratulatory post to fellow director Milap Zaveri for the success of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat.
On Thursday, Mehta took to X to write, "Hey @MassZaveri, congrats on the roaring success of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat! May you keep charming the masses." The post, meant as a professional gesture, quickly drew criticism from a user, @SaneemaFrenzy, who accused Mehta of supporting "misogynistic films" and argued that such movies could negatively influence young viewers.
In response, Mehta defended both the nature of cinema and the simple act of congratulating a colleague. He pointed out that films with overtly "good" messages have rarely changed the world, citing classics like Arth, Shahid, and Life is Beautiful, and argued that gangster films such as Satya, Gangs of Wasseypur, The Godfather, and Pulp Fiction have not turned viewers into criminals either.
Mehta wrote, "If films can poison, then surely they can enlighten too. Maybe even teach a bit of civility to you. Perhaps even how one colleague can congratulate another on their success without the need for virtue signalling and grandstanding."
The Harshvardhan Rane, Sonam Bajwa-starrer surprised all with its opening day collections. The film earned Rs 10.10 crore on its opening day despite facing tough competition from Thamma, which has been riding high on the popularity of its horror-comedy franchise.
Interestingly, Milap Zaveri's directorial has earned as much as Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor's Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, which released in theatres earlier this month. The Dharma Productions film had collected Rs 10.11 crore on its opening day, despite being a multi-starrer with an extensive promotional campaign. The film also featured Rohit Dhawan, Sanya Malhotra, and Maniesh Paul.
Milap Zaveri reacts to audience response
Filmmaker Milap Zaveri, who returned to the big screen after a four-year gap, shared his excitement over the audience's reaction to Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat. Taking to Instagram, he posted a video from a theatre screening the film, where loud cheers and whistles erupted as his name appeared on the big screen.
He captioned the post, "I waited 4 years for this. But never imagined I would be hearing the cheers, whistles and applause by the mass audience on seeing my name. #EkDeewaneKiDEEWANIYAT in cinemas NOW!"
