Director Milan Luthria, who is related to Mahesh Bhatt on his mother’s side, opened up about starting out in the film industry under Bhatt’s wing. In an interview, he also recalled the filmmaker’s infamous process of directing remotely, decades before the pandemic forced film productions to be carried out like this. Bhatt would direct over the phone, often instructing his assistants on how to frame shots and get the job done.
In an interview with Showsha, Milan Luthria recalled experiencing this exact filmmaking style on his very first day with Bhatt. “Mahesh Bhatt is my mother’s cousin. I started working with him. He used to be a very angry man, I was very scared of him. He used to yell at people. I went to meet him at RK Studio in Chembur, and the first thing he said to me was, ‘Why did you mother call me? Why couldn’t you call me yourself?’ I said sorry. He asked me how I’d come, and I told him that I came in our car. He forbid me from travelling in cars. He told me that henceforth, I will only travel in buses or trains.”
Also read – Angry Milan Luthria stormed Ajay Devgn’s sets, demanded answers for being kept waiting; actor said, ‘Sit in your car and go home’
Milan then recalled a story about how, on his very first day, the production received a phone call from Bhatt, who asked to speak with an assistant. Milan raised his hand, and took the call. He was instructed by the director on how to frame a shot with Sridevi and Anupam Kher. Milan was underconfident about instructing Bhatt’s crew, but got the job done. When the filmmaker arrived on set, he went over to receive him, and opened the door of his car. Bhatt asked him, “Will you do this every day?” Milan said that he would, and thus began his long association with Bhatt.
Bhatt’s remote directing style is rumoured to be the reason behind his falling out with actor Aamir Khan, which is said to have happened when they were working on their 1998 film, Ghulam. “His style of working was very different,” Bhatt said in Hindi, in an old interview on WildFilmsIndia. “He worked with me on Ghulam. That wasn’t a pleasant experience for me. When a man is burdened by his greatness, that burden is shared by people around him. Economically, that is very difficult, especially if you’re making movies with reasonable budgets.”
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