Muzammil Ibrahim, who debuted in Bollywood with Pooja Bhatt’s Dhokha in 2007, recently shared his disappointment about not receiving recognition for his performance. He claimed he was overlooked in favour of star kid Ranbir Kapoor, who debuted the same year in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya. Although Saawariya didn’t perform well at the box office, Ranbir was celebrated as the top newcomer.
“Ranbir Kapoor and Neil Nitin Mukesh debuted the same year. When I met Nana Patekar, he said, ‘You gave the best performance but we knew they were going to give the award to Ranbir Kapoor.’ I knew I deserved the award for Dhokha,” said Muzammil. “All the debut awards should have been mine. I was better in Dhokha than Ranbir was in Saawariya.”
He added, “I love Ranbir now. He’s one of the only star kids I respect, but if we’re comparing performances, I stood out more.”
Muzammil also mentioned that the initial plan was for Kangana Ranaut to be his co-star in Dhokha, but she was replaced. The film, which also featured Tulip Joshi, received praise from notable actors. “Irrfan Khan told Bhatt saab that very few actors can do what I did,” he recalled.
Despite being nominated for “Best Debut” alongside Ranbir and Neil, Muzammil said he wasn’t even invited to some award shows. “I felt horrible. Shah Rukh Khan said on stage, ‘I thought Muzammil deserved the award more.’ Even Ranbir said something similar. Outsiders go through these things silently.”
He added that hearing his name mentioned while not being present broke him. “I was crying. I had high hopes. I was too young to process that kind of rejection.”
Muzammil’s story strikes chords with outsiders who struggle to make a name for themselves in Bollywood even today, and like him, are simply ignored.
