EXCLUSIVE: Madhur Bhandarkar BREAKS silence on his struggles after Trishakti flopped: “I used to roam around with 50-60 coins in my pocket on the bus to call producers. Mere jeb se coins ki awaaz aati thi. Commuters would mistake me for the bus conductor!” 50 : Bollywood News

Not many are aware that Madhur Bhandarkar made his debut as a director with Trishakti (1999). Starring Arshad Warsi, Milind Gunaji and Sharad Kapoor, this action entertainer flopped at the box office due to low buzz and unexciting star cast. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the National Award-winning filmmaker poured his heart out as he talked about his struggles after this film’s debacle.

EXCLUSIVE: Madhur Bhandarkar BREAKS silence on his struggles after Trishakti flopped: “I used to roam around with 50-60 coins in my pocket on the bus to call producers. Mere jeb se coins ki awaaz aati thi. Commuters would mistake me for the bus conductor!”

Madhur Bhandarkar revealed, “(After Trishakti flopped), I used to travel in buses and trains. I would often bump into the assistants or spot boys or actors who played the henchmen in Trishakti. They’d offer me their seat. I would lie to them that I am travelling on the bus for research work for my next film! To reach Versova, I used to change two buses.”

Madhur Bhandarkar continued, “This was a time when I used to roam around with 50-60 coins in my pocket. I didn’t have a mobile. It was expensive. Making an outgoing call used to cost Rs. 16 per minute and incoming ke bhi paise lagte the. So, I’d take these coins and go to the PCO booth. I’d even travel with the coins on the bus. Mere jeb se coins ki awaaz aati thi. Commuters would mistake me for the bus conductor!”

He added, “I’d get down at Versova, head to a phone booth and call producers. I’d inform them that I have made a film and that I want to meet them. As expected, secretaries would tell me, ‘Sahab bathroom mein hai, sahab so rahe hai’, etc. I even started calling producers of TV serials and video albums. By the time I’d return home, all my coins would have been exhausted. This continued for a year. Then one day, a friend took me to a beer bar from where I got the idea to make Chandni Bar (2001).”

Chandni Bar was made on a limited budget but it proved to be a surprise success. The Tabu-starrer was also highly critically acclaimed and made Madhur Bhandarkar a force to reckon with.

Also Read: SHOCKING: Madhur Bhandarkar reveals how a producer INSULTED him in the 90s when he asked him to fund his film: “He told me, ‘Tumhare film ka message main 400 logon ko SMS kar dunga. I’d rather spend Rs. 400 to send your message to people than spend Rs. 4 crores to make your film’