Madhur Bhandarkar Once Jokingly Told Kareena Kapoor Khan, “I Made ‘Chandni Bar’ On A Budget That Was Smaller Than What I Spent On Her Clothes In ‘Heroine’”
The director revealed that he made the 2001 film keeping in mind Tabu, although it was a difficult subject to deal with back in that time.
Madhur Bhandarkar Recalls Struggle Behind Making ‘Chandni Bar’ In 2001(Pic Credit: Movie Still, Wikipedia, IMDb)
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One of the successful filmmakers of Bollywood, Madhur Bhandarkar has often impressed audiences with his realistic cinema and heart touching stories. His breakthrough film ‘Chandni Bar’ recently completed 20 years and the director once joked that the Tabu starrer was made on a smaller budget than Kareena Kapoor Khan’s clothes in Heroine.
The director revealed that he made the 2001 film keeping in mind Tabu, although it was a difficult subject to deal with back in that time, but still he managed to pull off the film on his own terms.
Talking to ETimes, Madhur Bhandarkar said, “It was very risky. People even had a problem with the title of the film. Many thought it was very cheap, and a B-grade title. I researched the film for about six months. When I approached producers for it, they wanted me to put some item numbers in the film, which I didn’t want to.”
“My first film did not work, so there was a lot of pressure on me, but I was hell-bent on making the film the way I wanted to. I made the movie on a very small budget. So much so that I once jokingly told Kareena Kapoor Khan that I had made ‘Chandni Bar’ on a budget that was smaller than what I spent on her clothes in ‘Heroine,’” added Madhur Bhandarkar.
Back in 2012, during the Heroine’s release, the filmmaker tweeted, “I made Chandni Bar in 2001 with 1.5 crores which today, a decade later, is #Heroine’s costume budget for Kareena! How times have changed!”
I made Chandni Bar in 2001 with 1.5 crores which today, a decade later, is #Heroine's costume budget for Kareena! How times have changed!
Further in the interview, the master director claimed that his 2001 film was a stepping stone in his career and said, “I have done about 15 films in the last 20 years and those have been the films that I wanted to make. I have taken my time to make my movies and not succumbed to the pressure of coming up with a film every year.”
Meanwhile, Madhur Bhandarkar also shared his plans for Chandni Bar 2 and asserted that he wants to show people what happened after the dance bars were closed.
