Mukesh Bhatt, who gave Kangana Ranaut her Bollywood break in 2006 with Gangster, is unhappy at the turn the actress’ personal life has taken. “I feel there is no need for all this,” he said, referring to Kangana’s spiteful war against Hrithik Roshan, Aditya Pancholi and Karan Johar on social media that is being amplified further by an opportunistic media. “Whatever has happened is now a matter of the past. She should now move on. There is no need to talk about all this. What is she achieving by speaking now? Life is all about moving on! This is not adding anything to her life – it’s just subtracting.”
The veteran director does not believe the actress is alienating herself by taking on Bollywood biggies publicly in a non-stop and relentless spat. And that sooner or later, Bollywood’s doors will shut on Kangana. “This industry will work with any person who is successful. If tomorrow Simran becomes a hit, there will be 20 people who will be ready to work with Kangana,” Bhatt said confidently, “because the industry is driven by nothing but success."
Bhatt revealed that there have been other actors in the past who filmmakers found difficult to handle. “But since they were successful, all their shortcomings were overlooked," he said, adding wryly, “this is the harsh side of the industry, it’s all governed by money.”
Though Bhatt and Kangana have not worked together since Raaz in 2009, she still has a lot of respect for the director and is grateful to him. Naturally then, Bhatt refuses to be influenced by the wave of outrage sweeping through sections of Bollywood against the actress. “Kangana is a lovely person,” he said from his experiences of working with her. “I don’t want to be judgmental, but she is an individual and an adult, she knows what she is doing.”
What advice would he give the girl from Himachal Pradesh who came down to become an actress in Bollywood and to whom he gave the all-important break?
“Though I gave her a break through my film, I don’t get any right to say anything to her. My advice would be to just move on.”
But what is pleasing the director no end is Kangana’s decision to turn her hand at direction soon. “She is a very talented girl and I feel she should divert her energy in these things. Life should be spent in a positive way. Talking about what people have done to her is negative.”
Bhatt is also proud of Kangana’s achievements since Gangster in 2006. "She has made me proud,” he said, simply. “Kangana got the National Award thrice. I am pleased that I was an instrumental figure in her life. She has blossomed into a beautiful flower and now she has to spread her fragrance, that’s what I believe.”
