Sidharth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandanna starrer Mission Majnu which was released on January 20 on Netflix is currently the talk of the town. However, the film is also getting compared to Alia Bhatt’s Raazi (2018). Recently, as per reports in Hindustan Times, Sidharth spoke about the comparison of their movie with Alia Bhatt’s Raazi (2018), and if their film perpetuates the stereotypes of Pakistanis in Hindi films.
In a new interview with Film Companion, Sidharth was quoted saying. “It is never a bad thing if people are trying to find a reference point for a film. It (Raazi) is a good film. It doesn’t feel like it (the comparison) is such an alarming thing. Yes, the elements on the outer periphery seeing the trailer might look similar. It is in the same decade (1970s), has similar elements, but I think the experience is completely different. It is only fair to speak to people after January 20 (Mission Majnu’s release date), once they see the film… I think it is fair (the comparison), and we will have a better conversation when the film is out and we could discuss it. Comparison with a good film is always welcome, it is not a bad thing at all.”
When asked if his character in the film helps perpetuate stereotypes of Pakistanis in Hindi films, the actor said, “We have consciously made an effort in the writing that it is never to take on a particular community. I recently did a film called Shershaah, which is based on India and Pakistan, and the battle that we had, which was documented. Once you see the film, consciously we never really concentrated, barring maybe four scenes on the other side (Pakistan), it was purely about this side (India) and this man’s journey, (Army captain) captain Vikram Batra sacrificing his life… So there is the same conscious effort (with Mission Majnu), there is no personal animosity with anyone, these are just documented historical points, which we will never get complete facts of, so for that you need to establish possibly certain characters in an x amount of time. And the shots they are referring to (from the trailer) are meant to be tongue-and-cheek in the film. So, I think it will be a fair dialogue once everyone sees the film… it is never about a community or taking a dig, which digresses from the film… a religion or a community is never an issue in the film.”