Did you see my intent?: Atrangi Re writer Himanshu Sharma on portrayal of mental illness in film

`Atrangi Re` writer Himanshu Sharma expressed that he wasn`t making a documentary on mental illness and claimed `there is more` to the film.

New Delhi: 'Atrangi Re' directed by Aanand L Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma has received a lot of love and praise from audiences and critics. However, a section of critics pointed out flaws in the film and accused it of trivialising mental illnesses.

This has been a popular criticism of the film since it dealt with sensitive subjects such as trauma and mental illness. Writer Himanshu Sharma has finally responded to these comments in an interview with a leading daily.

The writer of the Tanu Weds Manu series explained that the main focus of the film wasn't a mental illness or honour killing but much more than that. 

Himanshu told the Indian Express, "When I chose this story and this concept, I wasn’t making a documentary on mental illness. Understanding of human anatomy does not guarantee that you’ll understand human beings. There is so much more to the film, to that story called Atrangi Re, it talks about love, loss, and trauma, and how trauma can create so many difficulties for you and how love can fix all of those problems."

In the film, Sara Ali Khan plays Rinku, a fierce small-town girl from Bihar, who after eloping with her lover Sajjad (Akshay Kumar) multiple times, is always brought back home by her overbearing family members.

Dhanush plays Vishu, a medical student who falls in love with Rinku, knowing that her heart belongs to Sajjad.

'Atrangi Re’ is directed by Anand L Rai and stars Sara Ali Khan, Dhanush and Akshay Kumar. It is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.