Talking with Subhash K Jha, director Hansal Mehta debunks the rumours that he is launching Raju Hirani’s son, and also opens up about his film Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar that did not work starring Manoj Bajpayee and Tabu.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta is fuming at widespread reports on his plans of launching Raj Kumar Hirani’s son Vir Hairani.
Speaking exclusively Hansal says, “It is total nonsense. I’ve no idea where these people get their information from. I’ve met Vir like I’ve met many actors over the past few years. This is fake news.”
This week Hansal Mehta’s Manoj Bajpayee-Tabu starrer Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar completed 25 years on 6 October.
Hansal makes some startling revelations about his troubles while making the film. “Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar began with a crackling script: sharp, subversive and alive with possibilities. But in a moment of weakness, we tampered with it. Manoj’s growing popularity, the lure of six songs and the need to make the protagonist a ‘nice man’ trapped by dark circumstances, all these compromises softened what was meant to be a story about betrayal and the shadows hidden in human nature when faced with desperation and greed.”
In a moment of absolute honest self-appraisal Hansal confesses to this writer, “What could have been raw and unsettling ended up tame, at times even sycophantic towards its leading man. The irony is not lost on me: a film about greed was itself undone by greed. And it bombed.”
Adding to Hansal’s grief over the outcome of Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar is the its complete disappearance from the public domain. “I hear that the film’s negatives have been destroyed. Lost to carelessness, negligence, perhaps even divine intervention. A cosmic reminder, maybe, that good intentions when corrupted by selfish motives rarely translate into good execution.”
Hansal reveals the failure of Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar almost destroyed Hansal. “Its failure pushed me into alcohol, debt and bankruptcy. But here I am 25 years later, still around to tell the tale. The film gave me friends, cost me friends and left me with lessons I carry to this day. I am grateful for those lessons. I’ve made my peace , with myself, and with those I once blamed for the debacle. One day, I’ll write more about this chapter in my memoirs.”
