Mumbai: Filmmaker-producer Mahesh Bhatt, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming production ‘Tu Meri Poori Kahani’, explained why he now prefers mentoring fresh talent instead of actively making films.
The veteran filmmaker spoke with IANS during the promotional campaign of ‘Tu Meri Poori Kahani’. He said there came a time when he lost interest in filmmaking, yet his love for cinema pushed him to give back to the medium in another way.
He told IANS, “There comes a time when you realise you have been an expression of a time frame. The decade in which you made films, you are a by-product of that. You lived those experiences and metabolised those responses, which you converted into stories. But like everything else, even the sun gets eclipsed. You realise the fire in you is waning. The thirst is vanishing. The intensity is gone. And then you discover young talent with an enormous thirst to keep making films.”
He added that creating people is more gratifying than creating films. “How much more hunger can you have for validation? You have proved you are a good filmmaker. With the kind of body of work you have delivered — Janam, Naam, Zakhm, Aashiqui, Sadak — you have made all kinds of films. So, what more do you want? Eventually monotony sets in, and you begin to lose interest. That’s when I decided to mentor people.”
Bhatt explained his approach: “Mentoring is not an easy job. It means being hands off. If my fingerprints show on the work of fresh talent, then it’s not their work, it’s mine. I take care to give them space to learn from my experience while leaving the decisions to them. If they fall, I let them. Mistakes teach them lessons I never could.”
He described this phase as the most gratifying of his career. “I started this with Vikram Bhatt when he made Raaz. Then came Anurag Basu, Kunal Deshmukh, and Mohit Suri. Even my elder daughter Pooja began her producing career with me when she made Jism.”
‘Tu Meri Poori Kahani’ will release on September 26, 2025.
–IANS
