Pooja Bhatt on her web movie Cabaret finally seeing the light of the day, why the film did not get a theatrical release, and on reuniting with dad Mahesh Bhatt for Sadak 2
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; January 13, 2019)

Like filmmaker father Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt minces no words in stating her opinions. She is an interviewer's delight. You don't need to ask too much. The actor-turned-filmmaker knows exactly what you are looking for. She's witty, entertaining and articulate. Right now, she feels akin to a mother who has just delivered a baby. Her production, Cabaret, which was stuck for over two years finally released on Zee5 on January 9. "All this while I was like a single mother, taking care of the project, I finally found a partner [the digital medium] with whom I can share my joy," she laughs.

About 14 years ago, Bhatt had announced Cabaret with Mallika Sherawat, who at that time, was her dad's protégé. This was after Sherawat had tasted stardom with Murder (2004). The project did not roll. But Bhatt is quick to point out that this Cabaret is different. "It is the writer-director Kaustav Narayan Niyogi's vision. Initially, I had thought of going along with my script, but he reworked it and made it his own. It's his debut and he, too, had to patiently wait for the film to release. The other day, he was driving past Juhu beach and saw a hoarding of Cabaret. He stopped the car and called me. There was a long pause, but we had said so much in those unspoken moments. We are relieved and hope to celebrate soon with the cast and crew."

Cabaret stars Richa Chadha, Gulshan Devaiah and cricketer S Sreesanth. "Richa has charted her own path, Sreesanth is still in the after-glow of Bigg Boss and Gulshan will find his way. The timing of Cabaret's release could not be better for me. Guess it was destined to release now."

Bhatt explains what went wrong. "Cabaret was complete and ready for release. Every film is allotted a budget for production and marketing. Budgets are written in stone. We live in a time where marketing is an important part of filmmaking. Whenever I make a film, I ensure that we don't lose money or that nobody wants to see it. Just before the release of the film, the producers [T-Series and Wave Film] slashed the promotion budget. The promos were on air and the buzz had been created. I had to take a painful decision: Whether to go ahead with the release with the truncated amount or pull the plug. I chose the latter. It was a tough decision but had to be taken."

The digital world is a whole new medium. "I may be an old school filmmaker and actor but I have got the maverick streak from dad. He made films like Daddy (1989) and Janam (1985) for Doordarshan, these were the days when no new film would release on the small screen. Filmmakers felt he was crazy to do it, but now, three decades later, films are being made specially for the small screen."

Bhatt says she is used to battling roadblocks. "Filmmaking involves a lot of people and there are differences. Obstacles do not bother me. I emerge stronger. It is a learning experience. At the end, all is well that ends well. I only need to head to my farmhouse in Kalote, a two-hour drive from Mumbai and I am recharged. It is another planet where I spend time with my dogs and get recharged to face new challenges."



'It's homecoming for all of us'
Pooja Bhatt begins work on her next, Sadak 2, in April. The romantic thriller is a sequel to her father's 1991 film, which starred Sanjay Dutt and her. The film is also remembered for the late Sadashiv Amrapurkar's performance as the villain, Maharani. Sadak 2 marks Bhatt senior's return to direction after a hiatus. It is also the first time Pooja is teaming up with sister Alia.

"It's homecoming for all of us. I am acting after ages. My last film as an actor was Everybody Says I'm Fine in 2001. I am working with my dad after long and so is Alia. I am reuniting with Sanju after ages. So, there will be a lot of bonhomie on the set." She also terms it as payback time for dad from whom she has learnt the craft. "I will be working in front as well as behind the camera. It is a matter of pride for me as I have never assisted him. We plan to roll in April."

Pooja also accompanied her dad for the location hunt in Uttarakhand. "We have already begun work on the music, it is heartwrenching. Aditya Roy Kapur is already on board. We will soon cast the rest."

Subhash K Jha (DNA; June 8, 2016)

Producer Pooja Bhatt and director Kaustav Niyogi have decided to postpone the release of Cabaret. The film won’t release on June 10 as per schedule, but at a later date in the coming weeks when the the post-production is complete.

Pooja says she is not ready with the film and doesn’t want to rush the post-production. There are some exquisitely choreographed cabaret performances by Richa Chaddha, which the producer and her director want to polish to a state of scintillation. In an industry where release dates are announced even before one shot of a film is canned Pooja’s devotion to getting it right even at the cost of losing the precious release-window, is admirable. Says Niyogi, “We will take a call on the release once we’ve completed the film.”

Pooja Bhatt’s going ahead with her film though it is similar to Akshay’s movie
Upala KBR (DNA; June 7, 2016)


Pooja says, “We are definitely making Love Affair. I am happy that Rustom is coming before us. It will help me to prepare for our film. Let 10 Rustoms be made! Ours is an erotic, sensual drama and very human. and from a woman’s perspective (Kalki Koechlin). It is not just about the Nanavati case. As we were facing casting issues for Love Affair, I decided to finish Cabaret first. By then Rustom got announced. But so what? Silsila and Arth released at the same time and got their own appreciation. We have a fantastic script, which I am not willing to let go of. Rustom has been made in 40 times the budget of our film so we shouldn’t even be making comparisons here.”

Pooja adds that the film got delayed also because of casting changes. “Initially, we were to make it with Arjun Rampal and Kalki, but Arjun was expecting a price which we couldn’t give. We have a budget so we decided to replace him with Ali Fazal. Casting is very important for a film like this and we needed someone like Kalki who looked like a foreigner.”

According to Pooja, Love Affair is about a young and lonely foreigner trapped in India. A husband who is caught between a lover and her husband. “It’s also about what is right and what is not. The backdrop of the story is the Nanavati murder case. Yes, we have a court case but that’s not the whole story. My film is a human drama, a woman’s heartland, a dutiful wife who is swept off her feet by a charming man. In real life, there are no blacks and whites in relationships. We can have the same subject but both under different directors can be treated differently.”

Ramu’s Veerappan is releasing on the same date as his rival Anurag Kashyap produced Raman Raghav 2.0; Pooja Bhatt’s Cabaret is also joining in the fray
Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; April 20, 2016)

Almost four months into 2016 and we have already seen a few big clashes as far as release dates are concerned. The rest of the year is going to be no different as some big announcements are being made. The latest to add on the list is Anurag Kashyap’s Raman Raghav 2.0, Ram Gopal Varma’s comeback film Veerappan and Pooja Bhatt’s Cabaret. The three films will hit theatres on May 27.

Kashyap’s film clashing with Ramu’s film is particularly interesting as these two go back a long way. Kashyap as a fledgeling started work in Ramu’s camp and it was he who had co-written the screenplay along with Saurabh Shukla for Satya, Ramu’s most successful film till date. That was back in 1998. Once Kashyap grew and became a filmmaker to be reckoned with, the duo stopped seeing eye to eye and have been open about their animosity on social media. And now, Pooja Bhatt has chosen the same date to release her pet project, Cabaret, starring Richa Chadha and Gushan Devaiah. Since all three films fall under more or less the same kind of genre, there is a fear of them eating into each other’s business.

According to a source, “All these films are set to release on the May 27 and obviously it will divide the audience and will also hamper the business. The makers of the three films should figure out a way to deal with the situation.”

“Clashes are really bad for the overall financial health of the industry,” says a trade pundit on the condition of anonymity. “Now a days clashes are more of an ego war and there are very few people who are ready to change the release date. Last year everyone saw what happened in the clash between Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale, so ego should be kept aside and the makers should think about the business and the industry,” he says.

All three films have a lot on their shoulders as RGV and Bhatt are back on the big screen after a long time. Kashyap too has a lot at stake as this would be his first film after the debacle of Bombay Velvet.

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; April 14, 2016)

Richa Chadha has a busy few months ahead of her. The actress’s two films, Cabaret and Sarbjit, are all set to release a week apart from each other — the former releases in the first week of May and the latter in the second — and she is going to be occupied promoting the two. Also, she begins shooting for her first Indo-American untitled film early next month. Therefore, it’s becoming difficult for Richa to manage her dates in order to do justice to all three projects.

Apparently, the actress will shoot for the Indo-American film in Mumbai and Dubai for 32 days non-stop. Adds the source, “Her major problem is that she will have to visit different cities to promote the two films and she has only allotted dates for the post- release promotions of Cabaret. She is trying to work the promotions of Sarbjit and her shooting schedule for Indo-American film at the moment.”

When contacted, Richa says that she is looking at the situation positively. “It is true that I have to juggle between a few projects. But having seen a few months of unemployment I guarantee that you would welcome such a problem. I am doing my best to do complete justice to everything that I am doing,” she concludes.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 22, 2016)

Cricketer S Sreesanth who flagged off his Bollywood debut, Pooja Bhatt's Cabaret, in October, is currently filming the last schedule in Mumbai. He plays mentor to Richa Chadha's lead character. "I am like a brother figure who guides her through difficult times. My character is called Chetta which means elder brother in Malayalam," he reveals.

He recalls how on the first day he was supposed to play chess with Gulshan Devaiah. When Pooja called 'Action', he was trembling and couldn't deliver his lines. "I've played cricket in front of thousands, but this was a completely different ball game," says the 33-yearold who spent two years prepping up, including a crash course in acting and learning mix martial arts. "I would also go on film sets and observe and speak to actor friends. Despite this there were still times when I couldn't get a shot right. My director, Kaustav Narayan Niyogi, and Pooja and Mahesh Bhatt helped me understand and deliver."

The schedule ends on March 24 after which Sreesanth will move on to two new films down South. "I play a bike stuntman in a Malayalam film with lots of action scenes. The other is a Tamil-Telugu bilingual in which I will be seen as an aspiring cricketer who falls in love with a superstar actress," he reveals.

He admits cricket is his first love still and when not shooting, he is working on improving his batting skills. "I am waiting for the day when BCCI will lift the ban on me. I'm just 33 and have a few more years to play international cricket. Playing for the 2019 World cup is a dream," he signs off.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 12, 2016)

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; February 17, 2016)

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 13, 2015)

Richa Chadha, whose Masaan got a standing ovation and bagged two awards at Cannes, is presently shooting for Pooja Bhatt's Cabaret in Jaipur. She plays a small town girl in the film who moves to a big city and becomes the most famous cabaret dancer.

Gulshan Devaiah plays a cop while cricketer-turned-actor S Sreesanth will be seen in a negative role in his acting debut.

Richa has reportedly undergone body toning training to get the perfect look for the film.

Happy with Richa's performance Pooja says, "People who called Richa non-glamorous will be eating their words once they see Cabaret."

The trained dancer turned powerhouse actress talks to us about her choice in men, her style secrets and Mira Nair
Indu Mirani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 22, 2015)

You're a trained dancer. When do we see you doing a full-fledged dance film?

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; April 20, 2015)

Looks like Soni Razdan’s Love Affair based on the sensational Nanavati murder case will have to wait for a couple more months to go on floors. The Pooja Bhatt production was to roll earlier this month, but is stuck due to a delay in shooting the last leg of her other film, Cabaret, in Kolkata.

An insider reveals, “The makers are facing certain permission issues in Kolkata. Once that is sorted, Pooja  will wrap up Cabaret as soon as possible. Only then will Love Affair go on floors. It will be shot in Mumbai.”

A fictional portrayal of the 1959 Nanavati case, Love Affair will have Gulshan Devaiah as Naval officer K M Nanavati, Kalki Koechlin as his wife, Sylvia and Ali Fazal as her paramour. Their extramarital affair takes a violent turn when her husband catches them red handed and guns the man down. Chandan Roy Sanyal will play a character similar to Ram Jethmalani, who was the prosecutor during the trial of this case.

Pooja confirms the delay in starting Love Affair. “It was meant to be shot in Mumbai. Now we are planning the last schedule of Cabaret in Kolkata and once that is over, we will move on to the other project,” she says.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; November 21, 2014)


Says Pooja, “Rahul is a fitness trainer. He will put Richa under a strict regime and make her slog to look the part.”

Gulshan Devaiah will star opposite Chadha while Pooja has also cast her old friends Deepak Tijori and Mukul Dev in pivotal roles in Cabaret, which will be directed by veteran ad maker Kaustav Narayan Niyogi.

Gulshan and Richa last featured in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela but didn’t have many scenes together.

DNA (November 1, 2014)



She’s excited about the latter film. She shares, “I’ve seen this stunning newcomer, a Mumbai girl. My father says she will give Alia a run for her money. I will most probably cast her in Cabaret.”

At the moment, though, Pooja is looking forward to returning to acting with Mr Chaalu. “I made it very clear to Reema (Kagti) and Ritesh (Sidhwani) that I won’t be able to shoot for them when I am making a film. Soni’s film starts on February 20. I’ll wrap up my work in Mr Chaalu by then.”

She adds, “I guess now I’m a filmmaker first, then an actor. Production is like a marital alliance for me. Acting is an illicit affair. But I am looking forward to facing the camera again with Saif and Kangana. I know the entire team so well. It feels like home.”

Of Love Affair, she says, “It’s a film about infidelity in a marriage. Arjun Rampal plays the husband, Kalki Koechlin the wife and Gulshan Devaiah is the lover.”