Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar’s latest controversial drama movie “Indu Sarkar” is getting a positive response from the audience and has been earning decent at the Box Office. The anticipation regarding for the film was quite high as Indu Sarkar is based on the Emergency period from 1975-1977, which is considered one of the darkest periods of the Indian democracy. In fact, Congress political party also raised their voice, protested and tried stopping the release of the film reasoning former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi being portrayed negatively in the film.
A lot of things were being written and said about the film before its release. Till now, Madhur Bhandarkar had kept mum on this issue but now he speaks his mind out. In fact, he has even lashed out against prominent Bollywood fraternity members for staying silence in support of him.
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In a recent Interview, the director confessed he was disappointed when Karan Johar, Anurag Basu, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ekta Kapoor and others did not support him. He said, “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 and said that they should be released and condemned the attack on Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Padmavati and said 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.”
He further added, “Yet when I faced resistance to Indu Sarkar, nobody except people like Ashok Panditji or Anupam Kherji stood up for me. 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! I made my own destiny and feel I am blessed by God. My National Awards, my success and Box Office fortunes – everything is mine! Of course my team is always there for me but I have achieved success through my hard work and vision. But 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.”
When asked if he really expected support from Bollywood fraternity, Madhur replied, “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 but at least there’s something called a lip service or token protest like tweeting etc. My team was gheraoed 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 in 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.”
