Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 1, 2016)

A couple of days ago, filmmaker Vikram Bhatt moved out of the Vishesh Films office in Khar. Rumours are rife that the director has had a split with his mentors — Mahesh and Mukesh — after the seniors repeatedly favoured Mohit Suri for helming projects.

Those in the know tell us that Vikram has been operating from his tenth floor office in Lokhandwala’s swanky new building, Aston, since the past two days. Though currently busy with the editing of Raaz Reboot, the director stayed away from media interactions for the film that were held at the Khar office yesterday. Instead, it was Mahesh Bhatt, who considerately appeased scribes by talking to them about the film.

When asked about the split, Vikram replied via text message, saying, “No, no, not at all.” About his new office, he said, “When you are working on your own thing, you need your own workspace. I like the office. There is a vibrant energy to it.” Quizzed further about the fall-out, he retorted, “There is no split. I am 47 and need to look out for my daughter, Krishna, as well. I don’t have the IPR (intellectual property rights) to any of my films. I want to strengthen my production house, so that my daughter has some solid ground when she starts off. Maheshji is always there to guide me. He suggested me the name of my series. I will work with them whenever there is a good project that needs me.”

While Mahesh remained unavailable for comment, Mukesh Bhatt said, “Vikram is not our bonded labour. He is making his own web series, so he probably got his own space. In fact, he has always had a separate office for the last eight years. He is free to work with whoever he wants and whenever he wants. Just like Mohit is working with Balaji again for Half Girlfriend after Ek Villain. I won’t call it moving on.”