Milap Zaveri: Had to show women in better light

The debacle of sex comedy Mastizaade behind him, Satyameva Jayate director Milap Zaveri on not exploring the genre again

Aftab Shivdasani, Mandana Karimi and Tusshar Kapoor in Mastizaade

Milap Zaveri calls himself fortunate to go back to direction two years after his last venture hit screens. "After Mastizaade, it could have been two decades [before I returned]," laughs the director, as he references his sex-comedy that failed to appease viewers. Zaveri's next, the upcoming patriotic drama Satyameva Jayate, is in stark contrast to his last film.

"It has been a long, hard wait. I wanted to make a movie that I could be proud of. After Mastizaade, I decided against attempting the genre again, regardless of whether it works [sells] or not," he says. His decision to adopt the change, he admits, stems from the fact that he wishes to make movies his three-year-old son Mehaan can eventually watch. "A senior journalist had once casually remarked that no matter what I did, I would always be known as the king of adult comedies. When I die, I don't want to be remembered that way. It will hurt my soul," says Zaveri.

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The anger and resentment that followed the failure of this film was channelised into creating his next. "I took it upon myself to show women in better light. My hero in Satyameva Jayate, John Abraham, is a menacing man. If someone looks at women inappropriately, John's character would break his bones. He is a crusader, and [showcasing] that was a conscious move. Though movies are made for entertainment, the onus of improving the narrative is on [us]." As for leading man Abraham, Zaveri is grateful that he showcased faith in him when "people had stopped taking my calls". "It was important to not disappoint him."

Also read: Nikhil Advani on Satyameva Jayate controversy: We're not naive to hurt sentiments

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