Ghosts from Mahesh Bhatt’s past

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt doesn’t shy away from taking inspiration from real life—be it his own or someone else’s. And for his upcoming film Raaz 3, he has taken a leaf from his childhood.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt doesn’t shy away from taking inspiration from real life—be it his own or someone else’s. And for his upcoming film Raaz 3, he has taken a leaf from his childhood.

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Bhatt says, “When writer Shagufta Rafique brought up the idea for Raaz 3 — of a superstar (played by Bipasha Basu) on the brink of oblivion and how she uses black magic to defeat her rival — she mentioned cases of actresses, who we won’t name, who have dabbled in the dark arts.”

The idea sparked a memory, which Bhatt recalls: “In the ’50s, a southern actor Ranjan, who was a scholar and an actor, acted in my father’s (Nanabhai’s) film Sinbad The Sailor (1952) and also had a superhit south film Chandralekha (1950). Ranjan lived in Union Park, Khar, back then and I used to live with my aunt (Emraan Hashmi’s grandmother) across the street. As a kid, I thought Ranjan was unusual and had heard stories of him indulging in so-called black magic. The neighbours, too, witnessed many strange things, which lent weight to the stories. The entire neighbourhood watched him turn insane, after having dabbled with the occult. His servants would say that he was trying to woo satanic powers to elevate his profile in the entertainment business. Eventually, things he suffered a breakdown and even jumped out of his window, breaking his leg.”

Bhatt has incorporated instances from his experience in Raaz 3, as has director Vikram Bhatt. “We have dared to look at the sad reality of films. Bollywood might be a dreamland, but it turns into a graveyard for many people,” he says.