Hansal Mehta opens up about Shiv Sena attack on him 25 years ago; says he found solace in liquor after the public humiliation: ‘I was very broken’ | Bollywood News

Days after extending his support to comedian Kunal Kamra, amid the ongoing row over his purported reference to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Miner Eknath Shinde as “gaddar (traitor)” in one of his stand-up sets, and recalling how he himself once faced a similar humiliation from the same (then undivided) Shiv Sena following the release of his film Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar (2000), renowned filmmaker Hansal Mehta took a trip down memory lane, sharing more about the harrowing experience. He also revealed that he found comfort in liquor after the public humiliation.
“Now, these things have names such as PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) and there’s a lot more information regarding them. But back then, the only medicine I knew was alcohol. I was very broken at that time. Not only had my movie failed, but four weeks later, when we were dealing with financial losses, people entered my office and vandalised it. They painted my face black. Then they told me to come tomorrow and seek an apology because they wanted to create a bigger public spectacle,” Mehta said during his appearance at the sixth edition of The Indian Express’ series Expresso in New Delhi.
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“I was made to apologise in front of 10,000 people. But the apology was not the issue for me. I later on realised that people who violate your self-respect and freedom do not belong to any particular ideology or party. They are unfortunately engulfed in a greed for power; and they are nameless, faceless cowards. It took me time to realise that I was not the coward; I was attacked cowards. The moment I realised that I found my voice,” he added.
Drawing the attention of the attendees to the Supreme Court’s comment on Friday about the importance of protecting freedom of speech and expression, Mehta stated that reading news articles about it gave him hope. “In all the darkness, there will still be a glimmer of hope, and that comes from storytellers, performers and those who live lives beyond their own. It’s about the freedom that you feel, not the one given the government and laws; that’s artificial freedom. What’s important is the freedom that you give yourself to express and feel,” he stated. During the chat, the filmmaker also spoke about various aspects of both his personal and professional lives.
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Expresso with Hansal Mehta and Randeep Hooda.
Hansal Mehta kick-started his career with the television show Khana Khazana. He directed Sanjeev Kapoor’s cookery show for about seven years. Later, he shifted to making Bollywood films. His debut movie was in 2000. Titled Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar, the film starred actors Manoj Bajpayee, Tabu and Saurabh Shukla in important roles.Story continues below this ad
Hansal went on to make films like Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? (2002) and Woodstock Villa (2008). However, it was his 2013 movie Shahid that got him critical acclaim. The film also bagged him the National Film Award for Best Direction. Over the years, Hansal has made movies like Citylights, Simran, and The Buckingham Murders. He attained more fame through his OTT shows, Scam 1992 and Scoop, among others.