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Hansal Mehta reveals people tore his clothes, blackened his face after a dialogue from his film offended them
Hansal Mehta in a recent interview recalled the jinx that his movie Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!! arrived with. It led to the filmmaker falling into massive debt and even getting his clothes torn by miscreants.
Director Hansal Mehta's foray into the world of cinema with the dark comedy Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!! was meant to be a milestone in his career. Little did he anticipate that the film, which starred his close friend Manoj Bajpayee, would spiral into a series of misfortunes and leave him battling bankruptcy and more demons.
The film's dull performance at the box office and devastating reviews took a toll on Mehta, who had invested not just his time but also his own finances into the project.
“I had an inkling that the reviews would be bad, but I didn’t know they would be so bad. It broke my spirit but I learnt my lessons, too. The film didn’t work. We had borrowed money to make the film thinking if it worked, we would be able to repay the loan,” Mehta said in a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan.
Financial stress piled up even more as Hansal Mehta found himself drowning in debt, worsened by his own investments in the film. "There was no backing or support. It was a difficult time. I took to drinking," he confessed while talking about the dark phase of his life which coincided with his separation from his wife.
A dialogue from Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!! threw Hansal Mehta in massive trouble
The filmmaker's troubles escalated when the Koliwala community raised objections to what they deemed an "offensive dialogue" in the film, tarnishing their reputation. Despite attempts to diffuse the situation with apologies, Mehta found himself facing aggression and threats, both to his property and personal safety.
Recalling a harsh encounter at his office, Mehta described how the situation escalated to the point where “they not only vandalized my office but also tore my clothes. To save my friend’s house and for his safety, I agreed to apologize despite politicians warning me against it.”
When Mehta reached the Khar Danda locality, “They were chanting slogans and demanded that I touch an elderly woman’s feet and seek forgiveness. They also blackened my face.”
For the unversed, this was the very incident that Hansal took to the big screen in Shahid where Rajkummar Rao’s face was blackened. Back in time, he had told the Economic Times, “There is an autobiographical moment in it when Shahid’s face is blackened. It was sort of exorcizing the demons of that event in my life. That event of 2000 has made me stronger. It is futile to remain a silent spectator.”
Seeking solace after that disturbing incident, Mehta left Mumbai, following advice from a politician to let the controversy subside. His friendship with Manoj Bajpayee also suffered amidst the fallout. "I stayed at a lodge in Pune for a month," he revealed.
Talking about the aftermath of Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!, Mehta admitted to facing years of financial hardship and working tirelessly to repay his debts. Yet, amidst everything, he has no regrets. “I lost a lot of money. I borrowed a lot of money and repaid it with interest. For the next six years, I only worked to repay my loans. I still don’t have a house in Mumbai and stay in a rented apartment but I have no regrets or self sympathy. I am happy because of my work”, Mehta concluded.
Hansal Mehta recently directed The Buckingham Murders starring Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead which is yet to release in Indian theaters.
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