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‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ sparks social media outrage for glorifying misogyny and toxic romance

Statesman News Service

Image Source: Instagram


Bollywood and its​ obsession over toxic masculinity in films doesn’t seem to be ready to change ways anytime soon. We are still basking in the afterglow of the Diwali festivities when the industry has come up with yet another movie that portrays the romanticising of obsession and entitlement under the guise of passionate love. The film ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ (The Obsession of a Lover), directed by Milap Zaveri and co-written by Mushtaq Shiekh, is out in theatres from 21 October 2025. Along with the casting of Harshvardhan Rane as Vikramaditya, a politician with power, and Sonam Bajwa as Adaa, a vibrant young woman, who is very much into the idea of love without any restrictions, the film looks very promising (just in posters).

With the infiltration of Vikramaditya’s obsession, his consequent behaviour changes from being controlling to possessive towards Adaa. The finale shows, in fact, the authors’ interpretation of the evolution of love, starting from a boundless ego to an anguished cry for help featuring blurred lines between loyalty and dangerous fixation.

Social media did not delay and netizens were harsh in their reviews. The audience was quick to agree with the accusations levelled at the movie including the fact that it condones and glamorises harassment, controlling behaviour, and men’s inability to take a ‘no’. Several viewers commented on the disturbing aspect of the story: the character who, despite repeated rejections, keeps on pursuing is presented as a romantic hero rather than being recognised as manipulative.

“What happened to ‘No means no’?” People have started asking.

Memes, threads, and opinion posts quickly spread across platforms highlighting how the movie falls into the same trap as previous hits like Vanga-verse’s ‘Arjun Reddy’, ‘Kabir Singh’, and ‘Animal’.

Also Read: Adil Hussain admits he didn’t read ‘Kabir Singh’ script, and now regrets acting in a misogynistic film

This wasn’t the end of the hullabaloo around the movie though. Acclaimed director Hansal Mehta took to X (formerly Twitter) to extend his wishes of “good luck” to Milap Zaveri and his team. The online community didn’t waste time in pointing out the inconsistency in his behavior by congratulating the director of a film that many deem as a misogynistic promoter.

A comment summarised it all: “This “sensitive, intelligent” man is busy congratulating the writer-director of those misogynistic films where ‘No’ means ‘Yes’. Calls it a success, not realising how deeply such trash will poison the minds of young viewers. Bravo. (sic)”

According to the critics, the film ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ is a continuation of a disturbing trend that is present in Bollywood, namely the glamorisation of the behaviour of one who is controlling and obsessive as a characteristic of the romantic hero.

The story-line of this film conveys the idea that one should not give up the pursuit of the woman, no matter how many times she rejects one, as this will eventually lead to love, totally disregarding consent and personal integrity.

While audiences are more vocal than ever about their intolerance of toxic tropes, it is quite disheartening to see big-screen productions still cling to this antiquated and perilous formula. Rather than learning lessons from this year’s wave of critiques, Bollywood appears to be more interested in turning male obsession into a dramatic spectacle.

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