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- By Tapapriya Dutta
- Thu, 20 Jun 2024 04:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Renowned filmmaker Hansal Mehta gained massive popularity for his web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story. The director recently recalled his initial years in his career and said that he was sacked in 15 days by Balaji Telefilms chief Ekta Kapoor. He shared that the project was of a Television daily soap in 2005. However, he credited Ekta for inspiring him to venture into long formats.
In an interview with Mid Day, Hansal said “I tried to do an Ekta Kapoor show, K Street Pali Hill. It was a daily soap; I went in to direct that. I was sacked in 15 days.”
He continued, “Ekta told me, ‘Sir, it’s too much like a film’. This was 2005. I was sacked very politely. Unlike what people have heard… Very politely she called me and said, ‘Sir, it’s too much like a film. Our shows don’t work because of this. We have a format, we follow that, and I don’t want you to do it. So please leave’.”
After several years, Ekta launched him in digital space with AltBalaji show Bose: Dead or Alive. “Funnily enough, she has to be credited for my entry in long-form. I was showrunner on Bose: Dead or Alive. It was a prestige show, it had Rajkummar…” he added.
Hansal Mehta also shared that filmmaker Sanjay Gupta ‘saved’ his life by giving him an opportunity to direct the film Woodstock Villa. The 2008 movie starred Sikandar Kher, Neha Oberoi, Arbaaz Khan, Gulshan Grover, Shakti Kapoor, and Sachin Khedekar in prominent roles.
Hansal Mehta is known for his work in Scoop, Aligarh, Faraaz, The Buckingham Murders, Shahid, Omerta, Chhalaang, CityLights and Simran to name a few. He is currently working on Gandhi, which is based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi. The web series features Pratik Gandhi, Bhamini Oza, and Tom Felton in pivotal roles. The show is expected to be premiered early next year.