After a successful modelling career and a couple of superhit music videos, Muzammil Ibrahim -- a popular face on the ramp in the early 2000s -- made his film debut in 2007 with the action thriller Dhokha, directed by Pooja Bhatt.
In a recent conversation with TV host and podcaster Siddharth Kannan, the supermodel-actor levelled some serious allegations against Pooja Bhatt, saying the filmmaker was "extremely abusive" towards him on the film set.
Muzammil, who won the Gladrags Manhunt Contest as Mr India in 2003, also alleged he slipped into depression because of Pooja Bhatt's disrespectful behaviour on the set of Dhokha. He was just 20 at the time, he added.
Muzammil Ibrahim's Allegations Against Pooja Bhatt
- "I was called unprofessional at that time by Pooja Bhatt... She had a temperament, an attitude which was very disrespectful towards actors. Mahesh Bhatt used to like me a lot. But Pooja said a lot of things about me. I don't want to go into the details. I was very respectful towards her, but she had a very abusive nature. She was extremely abusive," Muzammil said on the podcast with Kannan.
- "I went through hell during its shoot. I suffered a lot, and I was very young. I got into depression because of it. I used to have nightmares. Every morning, I would pray to Allah to save me from her," he added.
Mahesh Bhatt Tried To Intervene
- The actor, who featured in popular music videos such as Kabhie Aisa Lagta Hai by Lucky Ali and Pardesiya co-starring Rakhi Sawant, said Pooja Bhatt's filmmaker father Mahesh Bhatt asked her to not misbehave with him. "But she would do it when he was not around. The crew members and even Mukesh Bhatt [Pooja Bhatt's uncle] told me stories about Pooja's behaviour and temper."
- Muzammil said the experience of working in the Bhatt camp was like a "nightmare". "I was scared to work with the Bhatts again. Mahesh sir was very keen on casting me in Raaz 2. Even Soni Razdan pursued me for doing their films, but I refused all of them," he added.
Muzammil Ibrahim Claims Pooja Bhatt Likened Actors To Dogs
"Pooja has told actors in the past that they are like dogs, when I tell them to sit, they should sit, if I tell them to stand they should stand. She would say this about John [Abraham] and Dino [Morea]. Someone who has this kind of attitude about their actors, imagine what kind of a person they would be," he said.
In A Nutshell
According to Muzammil Ibrahim, his Dhokha director Pooja Bhatt was abusive towards him on the set of the 2007 film. The ill-treatment pushed him into depression and would also give him nightmares.