Star Interview

Mahesh Bhatt Speak about : ‘Raaz 3’

Q: Both Bipasha and Vikram are back after almost a decade. Your take. 

 

A: Bipasha was offered “Jism 2” but could not do the film. She went out into the world of films, and learnt that life is 

not a fairy-tale — personally or professionally. She is the right actress to play the role of a star who is finding her 

position shaky, but I hope my film becomes her second coming.

 

As for Vikram, he is a part of me. Our family relationships go way back to my father Nanabhai Bhatt and his grandfather 

Vijay Bhatt. We are not related by blood, but our bond is thicker. Vikram’s father Pravin has been my DOP in most of my 

films and he was one of the most important tools for me in my movies and in my career. Vikram also wanted to be 

independent and he had that right.  

 

 

Q: With Emraan Hashmi and Bipasha Basu in the cast both being  established names, what price the Vishesh Films policy 

of never working with stars? 

 

A: Emraan is someone for whom Vishesh is home. He is my nephew and the grandson of the veteran actress Purnima, who is 

the oldest member of our family tree in films. Emraan always wanted to be an actor, even when he was assistant director. 

No one had confidence in him, not even Emraan himself: 46 takes were needed for his first shot for “Footpath” and after 

this flop debut and even after hits like “Murder,” “Gangster” and “Jannat,” people were busy writing his obituary as an 

actor. Today, after “Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai,” “The Dirty Picture” and our own “Murder 2,” he is a star who does not 

need me anymore. But not only Emraan but even Bipasha, though big stars for the world, are like branches from our own tree.

 

 

Q: “Raaz – The Mystery Continues” had a wonderful message concerning multinationals’ exploitation of India. “Raaz” had a 

traditional pativrataa message. The promo of “Raaz 3” shows Emraan as a devoted husband out to protect his wife, played 

by Esha Gupta. Is the message a gender-reversal? What is the real “raaz” (secret of mystery) of “Raaz 3?”  

 

A: Not at all. The message is very real within the mass idiom of a horror film. In our fiercely competitive world, where 

everyone respects only the guy who gets the gold, and where parents and everyone else are pushing children to be winners, 

the film industry is no exception. An actor desires to stay eternally in the limelight, which is not possible. 

 

The peak of stardom is a lonely position, where you are insecure and can only go down. When we become prisoners of fame, 

and the lines between right and wrong get blurred. From politicians and dons to television channels and actors, everyone 

tries everything to stay ahead. To destroy the competition, the tools used can be anything from prayers to black magic. 

And this film is about Bipasha’s character and her endless hunger to remain successful at any cost. 

 

What’s interesting is that from Bipasha to Vikram and my writer Shagufta Rafique, everyone has brought in their personal 

pain to the film. Vikram has been enriched in experience by his traumatic past relationship with an actress, while 

Shagufta is the sister of actress Sayeeda Khan, who with almost all her family was shot dead by her husband, the 

well-known filmmaker Brij, in a moment of pique. All human beings have shadows. Only saints do not have them! 

My film is about man’s endless hunger to be always successful. It is about how a normal desire can later turn evil.

 

I have myself heard so many stories like this in Hindi cinema itself. Ranjan, a one-time swashbuckling hero of modest 

action dramas, got into some tantrik vidya (occult science) when he was down. As part of it, he even jumped out of 

a window and seriously injured himself. Every village and so many places even in cities have their own tales of black 

magic, haunted places and so on. 

 

 

 

Q: “Raaz 3” is your costliest film. Don’t you fear a repeat of “Tum Mile?”

 

A: No, because that was an error in judgment so far as spending was concerned. Here, despite stars and 3D, the budgets 

are well thought-out. We will make our table-profit as always. “Raaz” is a brand that is highly anticipated.

 

 

Q: “Jism 2” and “Blood Money” did not really set the box-office on fire.

 

A: But we made a good profit, though the trade’s so-called “experts” called them flops. The figures showed that 

“Jism 2” in particular made a huge profit.

 

 

Q: “Raaz” was also a brand associated with chartbuster music by Nadeem-Shravan. The music this time has not made the 

same kind of waves, neither did more than a couple of tracks work in the second film.

 

A: Well, Bhushan Kumar of T-Series is very happy with the music, which is composed by Jeet Gannguli, except for one 

track by another composer.

 

 

Q: Why is Vishesh obsessed only with dark films?

 

A: Well, we did make a couple of films that cannot be called dark, but they did not connect with the audience. Besides, 

our films are all emotionally intense. And we must remember that what you show is not the real you; what you hide is 

the real you!