Bhandarkar: Was hurt when Karan, Ekta, SLB did not support during Indu Sarkar row
Mumbai: Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Indu Sarkar’ released this Friday, July 28, and is garnering critical acclaims and appreciation from the fraternity. The characters did immense justice to the roles they enacted.
However, it wasn’t a cakewalk for him to release his film ‘Indu Sarkar’.
A petition was signed to put a stay on the release of his film. The National award-winner was dejected when barring few, none came out in support of his film. He said, “As an individual I felt deeply hurt especially because of these last three incidents when Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap or Sanjay Leela Bhansali didn't offer their support, when I faced a similar situation. I thought there would be somebody at least would stand up for me when I was fighting a lone battle. I am not asking you to come and join me in a morcha (rally) but at least there’s something called a lip service or token protest like tweeting etc. My team was gheraoed (hounded) in Pune by a mob of 200 and we had to change three cars before reaching Nagpur airport because they said some hooligans wanted to throw ink on my face. For a filmmaker like me it was unbelievable. Had ‘Indu Sarkar’ not been my film, this movie would not have got released. People have tried to put a spanner in my work from all sides in terms of legal issues and political pressure I have gone through! I have that power to fight people because I am a strong person and have got great willpower. I have gone through many ups and downs in my life. Otherwise, any other filmmaker would have been into depression or had a nervous breakdown by now.”
He further expressed his feeling on being sidelined, “ Yes of course I felt let down and deeply disappointed by my colleagues. I was the one who stood up for ‘Udta Punjab’ and ‘Ae Dil hai Mushkil. I always say one thing and even my movies reflect it – my film ‘Page 3’ had the song… Kitne ajaab rishte hai yahan pe… which Lata didi sang. Let me put it like this – Bollywood is a completely superficial place, devoid of emotions! This industry navigates their equations from Friday to Friday and the success of the movies releasing then. Your friends and enemies turn according to your box office success. Like they say, no permanent friendship or enmity. I am a filmmaker who has been making films and it’s been my solitary, lonely journey as I make films completely according to my vision. I am not in any coterie. You have seen me in the last 20 years and know I am not part of any camps. Nobody can claim I made Madhur Bhandarkar’s life!”
Talking about the attacks on the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film ‘Padmavati,’ he said that despite not being friends with Bhansali, he condemned the attack on the sets.
“It should never have happened because this is not a way to humiliate a filmmaker. I am not a friend of Bhansali but as a colleague and member of the film fraternity, I will stand up for and with them and support the film, be it a small or big film, because it is for the fraternity and a film is not about the career of one individual or actor but collective work of people of all who are part of the film and the money riding on it.”
