Director credits daughter Devi for making him more socially conscious, tweaks script
If you have read, Chetan Bhagat’s Half Girlfriend, you’ll realise it is a dark love story. It revolves around Madhav, a guy who studied in a Hindi-medium school from rural Bihar falling in love with Riya, who is from an English-medium school in Delhi. It also touches upon Riya’s father sexually abusing her in the past. That won’t play out in the Mohit Suri film starring Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.
And here’s why. Mohit has tweaked his script — so now, while it still talks about social issues, it won’t be as dark as the novel. The director admits to the change and says his daughter Devi’s birth has changed his life. “While Riya has some dark family secrets, they are not related to sexual abuse. I have moved out of that dark, sexual zone completely. I wanted it to be more of a love story and to deal with contemporary social issues relatable to women,” he says.
The novelist had no qualms about the changes being made. Says Mohit, “The minute Chetan gave me the book, I asked him if he wanted to be a part of the screenplay, but he refused saying he was too closely connected to it. While he was creatively involved with the script, he never fought over the changes we made.”
He reveals the changes he’s making to that track. “It’s about rich families and how girls are treated there so I have kept it more relevant to today’s times. The film also shows the hypocrisy in our society especially concerning women,” he shares.
He further reasons, “Maybe it’s because I have a daughter of my own today and experiencing fatherhood has wrought that change to be more socially conscious. My daughter can make me proud someday. When I see her, I feel so happy. Why can’t daughters take their family name ahead?”
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