“I am amused reading this news."
Director Subhash Ghai has reacted to actress Mahima Chaudhry’s recent claims that she was bullied by the director.
Mahima rose to fame with her debut film, Pardes in 1997. However, the actress accused Ghai of bullying her into not signing other films after her launch.
As a result of this, Mahima stated that she lost out on many great offers and was also replaced in films like Satya (1998).
She said:
“I was bullied by Mr Subhash Ghai. He even took me to court and wanted me to cancel my first show.
“It was quite stressful. He sent a message to all the producers that nobody should work with me.”
The actress also went on to state that only four people from the film industry supported her.
She named Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, David Dhawan and Rajkumar Santoshi as the people who stood by her.
Now, Subhash Ghai has reacted to Mahima’s allegations in an official statement. He said:
“I am amused reading this news. Mahima and I are very good friends till date and are still in touch through messages.
“She is a very nice and mature woman of today. She recently shared how she gets welcomed at every event with a song from Pardes, ‘I Love My India’, even after 23 years.”
Subhash Ghai continued to mention there was a “small conflict” between the two after the release of Pardes. He explained:
“Yes, there was a small conflict in 1997 post the release of Pardes, which became a big blockbuster [hit], and for which she even got the Filmfare Award for the Best Actor.
“My company did send her a show-cause notice for flouting a clause in our agreement.
“The media and industry reacted in a big way, so I withdrew and cancelled her contract with Mukta Arts.”
“After three years, she came to me with her family and apologised for her impulsive reaction. I forgave her and thereafter we became friends again.”
Despite the accusations made against him, Subhash Ghai continued to speak positively about Mahima Chaudhry. He said:
“She is a jovial, good person whom I trust. She must be right in feeling that she was bullied when asked by someone.
“Actually, I admire her great gesture when she did a guest appearance in a song in my last film, Kanchi, in 2015.
“I guess we do get entertained with the smallest of an old tiff which is normal in the course of life in showbiz.”
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