Indian Medical Association and Deepika Padukone's The Live Love Laugh Foundation condemn 'Mental Hai Kya' poster

After Indian Psychiatric Society, The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Deepika Padukone's The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF) have condemned the title and poster of Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao-starrer 'Mental Hai Kya?' on Saturday.

The IMA has appealed to the makers to revise the title and even the film content if needed."The title 'Mental Hai Kya?' is clearly derogatory to people fighting with their mental maladies. It is sarcastic and ridicules persons in pain. The best term to describe the sufferers is a person with mental illness. This term clearly communicates that mental illness is not a criterion to reject a person as a whole. The fact is that this sensational imagination is a perfect example of pathological risk-taking behaviour", read a statement

"But the title of the film loudly ridicules persons with mental illness which is not only unethical and inhuman but also illegal," Santanu Sen, National President, IMA said in a statement.

TLLLF which is an initiative launched by Deepika in the year 2015 took to Twitter and tweeted, "It is time we put an end to the use of words, imagery and/or the portrayal of persons with mental illness in a way that reinforces stereotypes. Many millions who suffer from mental illness in India already face tremendous stigma. Therefore, it is extremely important to be responsible and sensitive towards the needs of those suffering."

In response to the post by Deepika's TLLLF, Rangoli who is Kangana Ranaut's sister tweeted, "Dear TLLLF, Ms Ranaut who is recipient of three National Awards and one of the driving forces of feminism movement in India through her films like 'Queen' and 'Manikarnika', is one of the most responsible artists. To jump the gun and assume the worse is nothing but immature. All I can say is that for 'Manikarnika' we held screenings for school children in many states of India. After 'Mental Hai Kya?', we would like to do the same with you... The genre of the film is such (thriller) that we can't reveal the exact plot or the parts that the characters are playing, but of course, we will acquire all the certificates we need to in order to showcase the film to the public. Don't jump the gun, I assure you, you will love the film".

Recently, Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) had also penned down a letter to the CBFC demanding for the title change of the film.