Hansal Mehta Recalls 2000 Shiv Sena Attack On Him: 'I Was Broken, Turned To Alcohol'
Hansal Mehta recalled facing public humiliation by Shiv Sena in 2000 after his film's release, leading him to alcohol. He shared this while supporting Kunal Kamra.
Back in 2000, filmmaker Hansal Mehta had faced public humiliation from the undivided Shiv Sena after the release of Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar. In a new interview, he admitted turning to alcohol for comfort during that difficult time. Mehta recalled this 25 year old attack on him while talking in support of comedian Kunal Kamra amid the controversy over his remark about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Kamra is facing legal issues over his purported reference to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as “gaddar (traitor)" in one of his stand-up sets.
“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.
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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 by cowards. The moment I realised that I found my voice," he added.
Hansal Mehta began his career in television, directing the popular cooking show Khana Khazana with chef Sanjeev Kapoor for nearly seven years. Eventually, he transitioned to Bollywood, making his directorial debut in 2000 with Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar. The film featured Manoj Bajpayee, Tabu, and Saurabh Shukla in key roles.
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