‘Ranjish Hi Sahi’ review: Amala Paul shines in this recreation of Mahesh Bhatt’s universe
The Hindu
The filmmaker has created a web-series that is heavily inspired by not only his bond with Parveen Babi, but also his early struggles in the film industry
One of the unwritten truths of Hindi cinema is that top filmmakers keep recycling their best work. In the case of Mahesh Bhatt, it is Arth. Based on the filmmaker’s relationship with actor Parveen Babi, the film is one of the most abiding takes on the extra-marital relationship in Indian cinema. Over the years, he has created many variants of this forbidden romance where he has held circumstances rather than man and woman responsible for straying from the straight path, and has imbued it with different shades of his life.
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With Ranjish Hi Sahi, Bhatt has created a web-series that is heavily inspired by not only his bond with Babi, but also his early struggles in the film industry. Directed by his protege Pushpdeep Bharadwaj, the influence of the fractured relationship between Bhatt’s Muslim mother and Hindu father — something he successfully explored in Zakhm — also lends a significant layer to this semi-biographical account spread over eight episodes. So does his relationship with his first wife that has already spurred two versions of Aashiqui.