Despite featuring some of the biggest stars, some films fail to impress the audience and tank at the box office. One such film that starred two of Bollywood’s biggest stars, was made by a star director, not only failed at box office but also faced immense backlash. 

The film we are talking about is a comedy-drama that led the director into debt and offended a section of society. Protestors vandalised the director’s office and even tore his clothes. It is none other than Hansal Mehta’s Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!
Hansal Mehta’s comedy drama Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!! starred Manoj Bajpayee, Tabu, Saurabh Shukla, and Aditya Srivastava in pivotal roles. The film failed to impress audiences and critics, tanked at the box office, pushed Mehta towards bankruptcy and alcoholism, and also cost him his friendship with Manoj Bajpayee. 

The filmmaker recently revealed in an interview with Siddharth Kanan how he took a loan for the film, but couldn’t repay it and said, “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 learned 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.” 

He further added, “I was in debt. There was no backing or support. It was a difficult time. I took to drinking. It was a dark phase of my life because I got separated from my wife around the same time. It was a time full of challenges. People who lent us the money were after us but I could only repay by working. They had to wait for a long time before I could return their money.” 

The troubles didn’t stop there for the director. The film was set against the backdrop of the Koliwada community and some of the dialogue from the film offended people, which according to them, reflected “poorly on the community.” The filmmaker said,“Three weeks after its release, some people who took offense to dialogue in the film came to my office. They had not even seen the film. One of them had a camera and asked me to apologize. To control the situation, I apologized on the camera. However, a few days later, I received a call from another person who was in my office while I was home.” 

Hansal Mehta further revealed how the protestors vandalised his office tore his clothes demanded that he visit Khar Danda locality and offer a public apology. To save his friend’s house and for his safety, I agreed to apologize despite politicians warning him against it. He further added, “They were chanting slogans and demanded that I touch an elderly woman’s feet and seek forgiveness. They also blackened by face. The incident broke me.” 

The filmmaker’s recent web series like Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, Scam 2003: The Telgi Story, and Scoop were a big success and won several hearts. He is now awaiting the release of his film Dedh Bigha Zameen which stars Khushali Kumar and Pratik Gandhi in key roles. 

The DNA app is now available for download on the Google Play Store. Please download the app and share your feedback with us.