Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar was in awe as he witnessed the consecration of the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22. For him, the highlight of the day was helicopters sprinkling rose petals all over the venue: “Everybody was in tears when Shri Ram’s door opened. It was a surreal moment when the choppers were dropped rose petals on everyone, I have no words to describe it.”

Recalling the momentous event, the Babli Bouncer (2022) director tells us, “It was very vibrant. The energy in everyone was just on another level. It is a remarkable deal for every Indian. The kind of euphoria that was there, especially when the doors opened to see Ram Lalla, people just couldn’t control their emotions. We were sitting outside and watching it on the big screen. Everyone started clapping and shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.”

Ask how he feels like to be among the few from the film fraternity who witnessed the event and the 55-year-old shares, “I felt absolutely honoured and privileged. What we witnessed was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. I couldn’t miss it for the world. I was looking forward to it for many weeks and was ecstatic to be a part of it.”