**Veteran Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt Opens Up About Early Struggles in the Film Industry**
*By Isha Sharma | Sep 20, 2025 03:39 PM*
Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt recently shared candid insights into his early challenges in Bollywood. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Bhatt revealed that he was a “stumbling-fumbling” individual who faced several consecutive failures when he began his directorial journey.
### Early Career Struggles
Bhatt’s first directorial venture, *Manzilein Aur Bhi Hain* (1974), starring Kabir Bedi and Prema Narayan, failed to make an impact at the box office. Subsequent films such as *Vishwasghaat*, *Naya Daur*, and *Lahu Ke Do Rang* also struggled to leave a mark on audiences.
Reflecting on those difficult years, Bhatt said, “My 20s were disastrous. I had three to four films, back-to-back failures. I was declared stillborn, dead-on-arrival till *Arth* happened to me.” It was with semi-autobiographical dramas like *Arth*, *Janam*, and *Zakhm* that Bhatt finally found his footing as a director.
### Personal Reflections: A Humble Journey
Despite the struggles, Bhatt remains humble about his filmmaking journey. “I’m just a struggling, stumbling, fumbling person. Some movies I made would happen to be good,” he admitted. He credited the success of his films to the “collective vibe on the set” and the contributions of his collaborators.
Bhatt also acknowledged that many of his films were mediocre or ranked poorly, but he still considers himself a successful filmmaker because of his perseverance.
### Career Beginnings: Unexpected Filmmaker
Son of director-producer Nanabhai Bhatt, Mahesh Bhatt revealed he never originally saw himself as a filmmaker. “I joined the industry simply to make a living,” he recalled. He shared a poignant memory of his mother urging him to find a job during tough times: “I remember putting the food down, wiping my hands and going to my friend Asghar Ali and shouting out to him: ‘Get me a job.’”
### Industry Insights: Philosophy on Success and Failure
Bhatt shared his candid outlook on failure and success in the film industry: “If you’re frightened of failure, don’t come into this business. Here, failure is a constant and success is a fluke. If you have the courage to take it on the chin, fail publicly, be savage publicly, then come here.”
He summed up his journey by saying, “I failed my way to success.”
### Why Did He Stop Directing Films?
The mid-1990s marked a decline in Bhatt’s directorial success, with movies like *Dastak*, *Chaahat*, and *Duplicate* failing to connect with audiences. After directing *Kartoos* (1999), Bhatt stepped away from directing, returning briefly for *Sadak 2* in 2020.
Regarding his hiatus, Bhatt explained, “I was born with a personality trait, which is either I do things wholeheartedly or I don’t do it.” This all-or-nothing approach defined his decision to temporarily step away from direction.
—
Mahesh Bhatt turned 77 recently, and with decades of experience behind him, his story serves as an inspiring reminder of perseverance amid adversity in the film industry.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/entertainment/mahesh-bhatt-recalls-early-struggles-in-bollywood/story
