Who is Madhur Bhandarkar?

Name: Madhur Bhandarkar

Profession: Film director

Age: Mid-30s

Why is he in the news?

A model has filed a police complaint accusing him of rape and intimidation. Bhandarkar denies the charge.

So, who is Madhur Bhandarkar?

The initial part of Bhandarkar's career resembles that of his mentor Ram Gopal Varma. Like Varma, he nursed a passion for cinema and so set up a video library. He graduated to work as an assistant to Varma, director of Rangeela, Satya and Bhoot.

When did he break out on his own?

Five years of assisting Varma was enough for Bhandarkar. He was ready to direct a film. He made Trishakti (1999) with Milind Gunaji, Sharad Kapoor, and Arshad Warsi. The film was a flop in every sense of the word. 'My heart was just not in it,' he admitted later.

What did he do next?

Well, he went bar-hopping. And that was how, in 2000, he got the germ of an idea for Chandni Bar.

How did the idea come about?

Once Bhandarkar and his friend slipped inside a beer bar, not realising it was what is known in Mumbai parlance as a dance bar. There he witnessed drunken men cheering and throwing money on the dancers. Chandni Bar was born.

Along with producer R Mohan, he had a script narration for Tabu. The actress interrupted Bhandarkar mid-way through the script and said she was on board. Made at a budget of Rs 1.5 crore, Chandni Bar, which depicted the harsh reality of a bar dancer's life, was critically acclaimed and was a semi-box-office success.

So his career was launched with Chandni Bar?

Right. Bhandarkar had arrived in the league of directors who matter. That Tabu won her second National Award (her first one was for Gulzar's Maachis) for this film helped.

What did he do thereafter?

He made Satta (2003), another woman-oriented subject. Everyone expected him to repeat Tabu as the righteous woman caught in the corrupt world of politics. But he sprang a surprise by signing Raveena Tandon.

Did he strike it rich again?

'Satta will be bolder than (Gulzar's) Aandhi,' Bhandarkar had predicted before the release. The political drama, however, held no power at the box office and sank like a stone.

What about the director's personal life?

The media linked Bhandarkar's name with both Tabu and Raveena, but he married the girl he had been seeing for seven years.

That's nice. When did this happen?

On December 15, 2003. He tied the knot with interior designer Renu Namboodiri at Mumbai's Khar Gymkhana. It was a low-key affair with Ram Gopal Varma, Tabu and Raveena among the guests.

He has probably moved up in life as well, hasn't he?

Absolutely! Having spent most of his life in a ground floor flat at Khar, northwest Mumbai, Bhandarkar shifted to a plush pad in Yari Road, Andheri, northwest Mumbai.

What about his professional career? Where did he go next?

Bhandarkar switched tracks from women-oriented subjects with Aan: Men at Work (2004). A multi-starrer cop drama with heavy-duty action and lavish item numbers, Aan was nothing like the director's previously acclaimed fare. Fed up with an overdose of men in khaki, the audience rejected this film.

What is he doing now?

Bhandarkar is working on Page 3, featuring Konkona Sensharma, Sandhya Mridul and Jai Karla.

Don't miss: Meet Madhur Bhandarkar
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