25 Years of Trishakti EXCLUSIVE: Madhur Bhandarkar reveals he was paid Rs. 3-3.50 lakhs for his debut film; opens up on how he used to handle skeptics after the film bombed: “I would tell them, ‘Subhash Ghai ki Trimurti bhi nahin chali. Toh kya film nahin banate woh?’”

Madhur Bhandarkar’s debut film Trishakti (1999) completed 25 years on August 6. This means that the National award-winning filmmaker also completed 25 years in the film industry as a director. His first film didn’t work but later, he switched gears and made thought-provoking women-centric films. The risk paid off and his subsequent films not only amassed moolah but also accolades and awards. As Trishakti celebrated its 25th anniversary, Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to Madhur about Trishakti and a lot more.

We saw that you and your team celebrated Trishakti’s 25th anniversary by cutting a cake…
(Smiles) My team got the cake for me behind my back. I was in the office and suddenly, they called me to the conference room for a surprise. I thought somebody had come to meet me. And then I saw that the team took the trouble of making a poster-themed cake of Trishakti. I was floored.

How do you look back at Trishakti?
If not for Trishakti, I wouldn’t have been where I am today. Sometimes you have to fail to succeed and I am an example of it. Hence, I wanted to celebrate my failure and even made a video on the film’s 25th anniversary. A lot of youngsters want to be filmmakers and when their first film doesn’t work, they get demoralized. I wanted to inspire them. Also, I can’t believe that 25 saal ho gaye hai. Pata hi nahin chala. Hence, I thought that I should celebrate the moment of being in the industry for 25 years.

As per the trivia on IMDb, did the makers toy with the idea of naming the film Tameez and Pangaa?
Yes, it’s true. One more title we toyed with was Toli. But the producers locked Trishakti as there were three heroes. Also, distributors preferred Trishakti and in those days, they also had a say in these matters. We started the film in 1996 when the films would have such commercial titles. Also, those were the days when films like Trimurti (1995) and Tridev (1989) were made. That’s why the title Trishakti. It’s a different thing though that later I started making women-oriented films. From Trishakti, I became Stree-Shakti!

The IMDb trivia page also says that Ayesha Jhulka had signed the film…
Yes, we even shot with her. But I guess there were date issues or something.

Having seen Trishakti, I can vouch that it’s a timepass commercial entertainer and not a bad film at all…
I recently saw the film with my daughter, who was 17 years old. She had seen all my other films, except Trishakti. When she saw the film, she also remarked, ‘It’s not a bad movie at all. I was wondering ki kaisi hogi yeh picture’! Even Taran Adarsh and Komal Nahta had written well about the film at the time of its release. I remember Taran wrote in Trade Guide, ‘The film might have a lacklustre script but Madhur is very skilful. As a filmmaker, he knows his craft very well’.

At that time, I used to tell people, ‘Yeh film meri show reel hai’! It took three years to be made. By the time, it was released, it became a stale product. The script inherently was masala. Hence, I used to mentally prepare the audience that ‘Yeh thodi purani film hai. See it in that light’.

Did you go to the cinema halls to check the reaction?
On the day of release, I went to Alankar Cinema and the audience was there. In Shaan theatre, the audience was there and was whistling during the Altaf Raja song (‘Paisa Paisa Paisa’). The first three days were not bad. Then, the collections dipped. Those were also the days when we used to call the theatres like Alankar, Sona, Deepak etc. at night to check how the occupancy was for the day. They used to tell me, ‘Aapki picture acchi hai lekin isme koi bada actor hona chahiye tha. Ek bhi actor bada hota toh log picture dekhne aate the’.

In a hilarious scene, two henchmen’s names are revealed to be Gaiety-Galaxy…
(Laughs) Yes, true. It was Madhur Bhandarkar’s tribute to the iconic Gaiety-Galaxy theatre (smiles). But this used to happen in real. The pickpocketers or black ticket sellers were named after the area where they used to operate. Somebody would be called New Talkies while someone might be named Alankar.

Was Trishakti released in Gaiety-Galaxy?
No. It was released in Nandi cinema, located in the same area.

What kind of feedback have you got for Trishakti over the years?
There are times when I meet people at tourist spots, airports etc. and they tell me, ‘Sir I am your big fan’. Some of them also add ‘Maine Trishakti bhi dekhi hai’! I think, ‘If this person has seen Trishakti, he is my die-hard fan’! I get so overwhelmed that I hug them (laughs)! And you won’t believe it, there are times when people have addressed me as ‘Yeh toh Trishakti ka director hai’! I turn around and I ask, ‘Kisne bola yeh? Dhundo usko!’.

I laugh at myself and I have no qualms about it. Those days, people used to tell me, ‘Trishakti flop ho gayi. Ab kya karega?’. I would tell them, ‘Film banaunga. Subhash Ghai ki Trimurti bhi nahin chali. Toh kya film nahin banate woh?’ (laughs)!

How much were you paid for your debut film and how did the makers pay you?
I was paid in instalments over a period of three years since the film took that much time. And I was paid around Rs. 3-3.50 lakhs.

You started your career working with Ram Gopal Varma. Did he see the film?
No. But he did visit the sets of the film when I was shooting the song ‘Yeh Sara Jahan Pagal Pagal’ with three actors dancing on the top of a bus at Lokhandwala Complex. He liked the title Panga for the film and was asking why we changed the title to Trishakti.

Any final thoughts on this landmark moment in your life?
I have made 15 films and still, my interval is to come. Second half ko toh kaafi time hai!

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Madhur Bhandarkar BREAKS silence on his struggles after Trishakti flopped: “I used to roam around with 50-60 coins in my pocket on the bus to call producers. Mere jeb se coins ki awaaz aati thi. Commuters would mistake me for the bus conductor!”