Mahesh Bhatt on 26 years of Zakhm, "Ajay Devgn gave his soul to this story, a performance that still burns with quiet intensity"

Mahesh Bhatt gave up direction after Zakhm. Said the filmmaker, “This was my last directorial venture before I laid down the baton, my final offering as a filmmaker. Zakhm gave me back my dignity after a spate of forgettable films, reasserting my identity as a storyteller who draws from the well of his own living, throbbing wounds. It was a reckoning, an exorcism, and a hymn to love’s endurance in a fractured world. At this dimension, we are done. But Zakhm? It endures, whispering its truths to those brave enough to listen.”He added, “In the first quarter of the second century of cinema, Zakhm remains more than a film. It is a wound, unhealed and unhidden, that throbs beneath the skin of a nation. Its story, drawn from the deepest fissures of one man’s life—one man who is me—unfurls like a confession whispered in a storm: raw, unadorned, and stripped of all pretence.”Ajay Devgan, who played a character based on Mahesh Bhatt himself, won the National award for best actor for this film. “Ajay Devgn gave his soul to this story, earning his first National Award for a performance that still burns with quiet intensity,” said Bhatt. “Kunal Kemmu, the child wonder, who played the child version of me, was simply unbelievable—his innocence, his raw truth, etched into every frame, delivering one of the greatest performances I’ve witnessed in my long career. How can I forget Pooja? She stepped into the role of Shireen, her grandmother, with a courage and conviction that pierced the heart. It was one of the most stirring performances she has ever given, a triumph of vulnerability and strength intertwined.”He added, “But Zakhm could never have achieved its enduring legacy without the generosity of one of South India’s most enduring stars, Nagarjuna. From the Telugu film industry, he stepped into this deeply personal story with a rare grace. Knowing this was to be my autobiographical film, drawn from unspoken wounds, Nagarjuna insisted on being a part of it at all costs. Despite the demands of his packed schedule, he made it a point to participate wholeheartedly in this austere film. For a project where financial gain was almost non-existent, he gave not just his time but his heart, elevating Zakhm with his quiet brilliance.”Mahesh has special words for M M Keeravani’s songs in Zakhm, which have an eternal renewability. “When you think of Zakhm, you also think of M M Keeravani, whose music seeped into the soul of the film. ‘Gali Mein Aaj Chand Nikla’—that immortal song—has become a hymn of longing and hope. Every Eid, its melody resonates across the world, celebrating the plural heritage of this great nation, a reminder of what unites us amid the forces that seek to divide,” said Bhatt.Also Read: Trivia Tunes: When a song meant for Ajay Devgn’s Zakhm was used for John Abraham’s Saaya

Mahesh Bhatt gave up direction after Zakhm . Said the filmmaker, “This was my last directorial venture before I laid down the baton, my final offering as a filmmaker. Zakhm gave me back my dignity after a spate of forgettable films, reasserting my identity as a storyteller who draws from the well of his own living, throbbing wounds.

It was a reckoning, an exorcism, and a hymn to love’s endurance in a fractured world. At this dimension, we are done. But Zakhm ? It endures, whispering its truths to those brave enough to listen.

” He added, “In the first quarter of the second century of cinema, Zakhm remains more than a film. It is a wound, unhealed and unhidden, that throbs beneath the skin of a nation. Its story, drawn from the deepest fissures of one man’s life—one man who is me—unfurls like a confession whispered in a storm: raw, unadorned, and stripped of all pretence.

” Ajay Devgan, who played a character based on Mahesh Bhatt himself, won the National award for best actor for this film. “Ajay Devgn gave his soul to this story, earning his first National Award for a performance that still burns with quiet intensity,” said Bhatt. “Kunal Kemmu, the child wonder, who played the child version of me, was simply unbelievable—his innocence, his raw truth, etched into every frame, delivering one of the greatest performances I’ve witnessed in my long career.

How can I forget Pooja? She stepped into the role of Shireen, her grandmother, with a courage and conviction that pierced the heart. It was one of the most stirring performances she has ever given, a triumph of vulnerability and strength intertwined.” He added, “But Zakhm could never have achieved its enduring legacy without the generosity of one of South India’s most enduring stars, Nagarjuna.

From the Telugu film industry, he stepped into this deeply personal story with a rare grace. Knowing this was to be my autobiographical film, drawn from unspoken wounds, Nagarjuna insisted on being a part of it at all costs. Despite the demands of his packed schedule, he made it a point to participate wholeheartedly in this austere film.

For a project where financial gain was almost non-existent, he gave not just his time but his heart, elevating Zakhm with his quiet brilliance.” Mahesh has special words for M M Keeravani’s songs in Zakhm , which have an eternal renewability. “When you think of Zakhm , you also think of M M Keeravani, whose music seeped into the soul of the film.

‘Gali Mein Aaj Chand Nikla’—that immortal song—has become a hymn of longing and hope. Every Eid, its melody resonates across the world, celebrating the plural heritage of this great nation, a reminder of what unites us amid the forces that seek to divide,” said Bhatt. Also Read: Trivia Tunes: When a song meant for Ajay Devgn’s Zakhm was used for John Abraham’s Saaya More Pages: Zakhm Box Office Collection BOLLYWOOD NEWS - LIVE UPDATES Catch us for latest Bollywood News , New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection , New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi , Entertainment News , Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2024 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.

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