Despite facing heavy backlash and social media trolling for her role as the actor’s “fake mother” Varun Dhawan in David Dhawan’s ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’, Mouni Roy remained untouched by the controversy. The actor brushed aside the noise, saying his focus was on living up to the director’s vision and giving him what he was looking for.
Mouni Roy on trolling. “I don’t care what people say”
In an interview with News18, he said, “I can’t do anything about it. I don’t care what the noise is. I don’t care what people say. But I know what I have done in the film. I know that my director is very happy, and so is everyone I worked with in the film”.
Why has Mouni Roy’s casting sparked outrage?
For those unaware, the film’s trailer sparked a wave of backlash directed at the makers of ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’, with viewers mocking the decision to cast 40-year-old Mouni as the on-screen, albeit fake, mother of the 39-year-old. Varun:. The almost identical age of the two actors in real life became a hot topic of ridicule, as the audience found it difficult to digest the mother-daughter dynamic between them, even in the fictional context of it being a pretend relationship.
Mouni Roy’s first reaction: ‘His mother?’
While the actor expressed genuine excitement about being a part of the project, he admitted that the nature of his role initially deterred him. Recalling the moment he first heard about it, he shared, “First, Mukesh Chhabra (casting director) called me. When he told me about the part, my first reaction was the same. I was like, ‘Her mother?’ Then I went and heard a story from David sir and: Farhad Samji (dialogue writer).”The actor continued, “I laughed my guts out! Just imagine, Varun calling Maniesh (Maniesh Paul) and saying, ‘Maa ka phone call nahi chahiye, puri ki puri maa chahiye. Nirupa Roy jaisi. ‘ Cut to, you see me walk in, where someone else is saying to Jimmy sir’s character, ‘Yeh maa ke liye thodi?'”.
Mouni Roy in David Dhawan. “His films are my comfort watch”
Showing admiration for the filmmaker, Mouni opened up about her deep admiration for David Dhawan and revealed why she couldn’t turn down the project. He said, “I am a big David Dhawan fan. His films are my friends. They are my comfortable watch. He said this is his last film. Also, it is a comedy, and I am doing comedy for the first time. So, I am really excited about it. They are keeping me away from all the promotions. It was a great call because it made people curious, ‘film mein yeh kar kya rahi hai!'”.
Mouni Roy’s film tanks at the box office
The film, which also features: Mrunal Thakur, Pooja HegdeManiesh Paul, Chunky Panday, and: Jimmy Sheirgill in key roles, failed to make a mark with critics or audiences. ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ ultimately turned out to be a disappointment at the box office, managing to collect only Rs 74.23 crore worldwide, as reported by industry tracker Sacnilk.