Mahesh Bhatt Quotes

The world is not a static place. People change, evolve.

Modi talks about Congress Mukt Bharat. I feel this is a fascist ideology.

The narratives in which you‘re born have a fierce pattern of repetition.

I would say more power to women who scream from the rooftop about something wrong done to them, whether it is after 10 years or 20 or 50… It doesn’t make a difference.

I have made more good films than anyone else in the country.

It would be false if I claim that the Congress has in the past not let down its ideology, especially pertaining to Muslim community.

‘Dhoka,’ I think, is not just meant for Pakistan and India but for South Asia.

Questioning authority can hardly be called our national pastime. We even make a philosophy out of fear. Fatalism, destiny, karma… are the favourite cultural holes we hide in when authority flogs us. And what’s our tragedy.

It’s extremely important that plays reflect contemporary times and should not just be about asking for social change without having any connect with the audience.

There is no one idea of India, but ideas of India.

I don’t give a tinker‘s damn for posterity.

My mother found herself in a triangular situation of my father and his legitimate wife. I experienced the emotional trauma of that triangle in my cradle.

‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’ is a very emotional perspective on a traditional Indian woman.

I do not want myself to be restricted to a pigeonholed kind of filmmaker.

India will not function if you do not believe in unity in diversity.

It would be a tragedy for democracy if dissent goes away.

I can be unhappy with the Congress, but I cannot give up on its ideology.

The whole idea of ‘One size fits all’ is not going to work in India with a billion people.

‘Zakhm’ was my last film as a director.

Men who create power make an indispensable contribution to a nation’s greatness. But, men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable.

I am not a person who believes in austerity or denial.

Making a film is very gratifying and intoxicating. It does great things to your self-esteem, but pushing people and mentoring them to their full potential is far more fulfilling.

A franchise gives a sense of security to everyone – the director, producers, exhibitors, and even the audience feels that they are watching something close to the first part.

I can understand the individual who is driven by biases. I can sit with him across the table and can talk to him, deal with him. But bias in the man whom we put in the seat of power and who decides to play on it… That man will destroy the very fabric of the nation.

Vijay Anand’s death marks the passing away of a true, original mind. Vijay had charisma and cinematic dazzle. He was the first who gave Indian film directors the status of a star.

Films have to appeal to youngsters – it has to have tamasha, drama, and sensationalism.

I am what this country dreams of achieving: a perfect example of composite India.

At the end of the day, human beings make mistakes.

I think one of the basest of all things is fear. Fear erodes the individual. Fear erodes the nation, the spine of the nation.

I love people who have distinctive, unique personalities who are not in assembly lines and have something to offer.

I come from a home where my mother was the only emotional umbrella under which we found all the warmth and comforts and sustenance. My father would come and go, and not as often as we’d want him to.

If the story-teller is to nourish the roots of his culture, society must set him free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.

I have only an appetite for masochistic truth, and only box-office collection figures interest me.

I am a mere filmmaker. I am not even aligned to any political party. I vote for the Congress party, and I root for the Congress ideology, but I am not subject to the Congress party.

Life continues, irrespective of whether we are there or not.

The film industry not only in India but also Hollywood is insular. It’s inward-looking.

I have no worthwhile memories of my father, therefore no idea of what a father’s role should be.

Every five years, there is a shift in cinema space, but we are slow to catch that. Young people understand that shift.

My father did not live with us. When he came home, he never took off his shoes – he wouldn’t be staying. My father had another family: Although my father had two homes, he paid for our education and household expenses.

I felt it was a privilege that I came from such a rich background. I had the best of both worlds. My mother was a Shia Muslim, while my father was a janoi-clad man. He never pretended to be secular.

It’s always better to make a hero than lean on one. My goal is to emulate China in the filmmaking business, not Los Angeles.

I feel it is the believers who are most dangerous for the secular framework of a nation.

Men like Sunil Dutt should not be mourned, only envied for their greatness.

The Congress may have made mistakes, but their ideology is not wrong.

I was a dreamer, and thank God for that!

No power on earth can ever get me back to directing a commercial film.

A long and productive career in the world of films is bound to be checkered with success and failures. You cannot have one without the other; the only way not to make a flop is not to make a film.

Life experiences cannot be learnt on the film set or in front of the camera.

‘Zakhm’ has no political agenda. But, it certainly says things as they are.

Life isn’t all about entertainment.

One needs strong performance to put across a point in theatre.

I’m not a stranger to the persecution that Muslims have faced over the years.

Yes, whatever is born, dies, but I thank life for gifting us a Nelson Mandela. He will sparkle in our consciousness for times to come.

Cinema now can’t be just about introspection and atma manthan; such topics won‘t work.

We as men, need to give the Indian women all the strength that she needs, rightfully asking to be able to walk with head held high.