Published 17:44 IST, August 12th 2020
Subhash Ghai on Mahima's statement: People get entertained with the smallest of tiffs
Director Subhash Ghai issued a statement a day after Mahima Chaudhary's statements about him wherein she said he bullied her and told directors not to cast her.
Actor Mahima Chaudhary made her Bollywood debut with the film Pardes alongside Shahrukh Khan. Chaudhary, who was directed by Ghai for her debut, said that the filmmaker 'bullied' her and told producers not to cast her in their projects. She revealed that there were only people including Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan who stood by her. Now, director Subhash Ghai has reacted to this in a statement.
Subhash Ghai reacts to Mahima Chaudhary's statements
Reacting to Mahima Chaudhary's statements, Subhash Ghai said that he is 'amused' with this piece of news. The filmmaker said that he and Mahima are very good friends and are still in touch with each other through text messages. He further added that Chaudhary is a 'nice and mature woman of today'. The director also said that the actor recently shared that she is still welcomed to events with her popular song I Love My India from Pardes.
Addressing the conflict, Subhash Ghai said that there was a conflict in 1997 after the release of Pardes. He added that the film went on to become a huge blockbuster and said that Mahima Chaudhary even received a Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the movie. He further revealed that his company sent the actor a show-cause notice for flouting a clause in their agreement.
Adding that the media and the film industry reacted in a big way, Ghai said that he withdrew and canceled his contract with Mukta. He revealed that the actor later visited him with family and apologised to him. Post that the director has been friends with Chaudhary and said that she is a jovial person and that he trusts her. He added that she must be right about feeling bullied when someone asks her about it.
Subhash Ghai further said that he admires her gesture for making a guest appearance in his song. Mahima Chaudhary made a cameo appearance in a song in Ghai's last film Kanchi in 2015. The director further said that one gets 'entertained with the smallest of tiffs which is a normal thing in the life of showbiz'.
In her interview with Bollywood Hungama, Chaudhary also said that the director put an ad in a magazine stating that any filmmaker who wished to work with Mahima would have to contact him. She added that she was not bound by the contract to which Ghai referred to in that ad. The actor said that David Dhawan, Rajkumar Hirani, Salman Khan, and Sanjay Dutt told her to stay strong. She further revealed that Satya was supposed to be her second film and said that she was not even informed when she was replaced with Urmila Matondkar.
Updated 17:44 IST, August 12th 2020