Recently, Muzammil Ibrahim shared traumatic memories from the sets of his debut film Dhokha, which was directed by Pooja Bhatt. He labelled Pooja as verbally abusive and accused her of mistreating him during the shoot. He elaborated that her misbehaviour left a lasting impact on his mental health for the worse.
Muzammil On Pooja Bhatt
“I was called unprofessional at that time by Pooja Bhatt,” he recalled. “She had a temperament, an attitude which was very disrespectful for actors.” He also claimed that the Bhatt family planted negative stories about him in the media. However, Muzammil also mentioned that Pooja’s father, Mahesh Bhatt, was always kind and supportive towards him.
At only 20 years old, Muzammil said the experience was emotionally distressing, especially being mistreated by someone 15 years older. “When you mistreat a kid like that… you lose all expectations,” he said.
When asked about whether things ever improved between him and Pooja, Muzammil said they did not. He expected better treatment, especially as it was his first film and he had transitioned from a successful modelling career.
Muzammil On The Working Environment On Dhokha’s Set
Talking about the working environment on set, Muzammil said, “She used to verbally abuse a lot.” The situation got so intense that even though Mahesh Bhatt later offered him roles in Raaz 2 and a film by Soni Razdan, he turned them down due to fear and anxiety. “I refused to do both these films because I was so scared. I had nightmares,” he admitted.
He also stated that Mahesh Bhatt often took over directing duties while Pooja mainly handled the songs. “Bhatt saab saw what was happening and tried to tell Pooja to not behave in this way,” he said.
Muzammil further accused Pooja of having a controlling attitude toward actors, saying she once compared John Abraham and Dino Morea to dogs. “When I tell them to sit, they should sit… stand, they should stand,” she allegedly said.
Fear of industry power and pressure led Muzammil into depression, revealing, “I was scared… I had nightmares.”
