Jun 05, 2025 03:42 PM IST
Pooja Bhatt was the director of the 2007 film Dhokha, which marked the acting debut of supermodel Muzammil Ibrahim. He shared how Pooja was abusive on set.
Muzammil Ibrahim made a name for himself as a supermodel before he decided to debut as an actor. He made his debut with the film Dhokha, which was produced by Mahesh Bhatt and directed by Pooja Bhatt. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Muzammil opened up about the extremely difficult time during the shoot when he was mistreated and disrespected by Pooja. Muzammil shared he had nightmares about going to work and did not expect this kind of behaviour at all. (Also read: Thug Life movie review: The Kamal Haasan-Mani Ratnam flick fails to recreate Nayakan magic on screen)
What Muzammil said about Pooja
During the interview, Muzammil shared, “I was called unprofessional during that time by Pooja Bhatt. She had a temperament, an attitude which was very disrespectful for actors. Bhatt saab used to like me a lot because I was a good actor. I was just a kid that time, around 20, and the way I was treated on that set I cannot even begin to say… it was so heinous. I was respectful, but I had expectations. But the way I was mistreated I had no expectations after that. She used to verbally abuse a lot.”
‘I was nightmarish’
Muzammil shared that he didn’t do Raaz 2 after the experience on Dhokha. He added, “I was so scared, I was nightmarish. I was a supermodel in India, respected in a very different way and the way I was treated there… Mahesh Bhatt saab saw what was happening and tried to tell her not to do that as well. But it escalated when Bhatt saab was not on set. I used to hear such stories on set where Pooja said that actors should be like dogs and should sit when told. I come from a small family and I was so scared, the articles that were written to sabotage me… I did not want to attach myself to that situation. I used to have nightmares and used to pray that I survive the whole day. I went through a lot of depression.”
Pooja Bhatt’s Dhokha opened to positive reviews, with Muzammil receieving particular praise. The film also starred Tulip Joshi, Anupam Kher and Gulshan Grover in pivotal roles.
