When Jaya Bachchan rescued a 'crying' movie director facing student outrage amid film shoot. ‘They threatened to blacken my face’

Jaya Bachchan often hog the limelight for her tense exchanges with the paparazzi. Her sharp reactions to the intrusive behaviour of the photographers have repeatedly surfaced on social media, turning the veteran actress into a subject of internet trends. But behind her apparent angry persona, there is a deeply human side to the Samajwadi Party (SP) member. No, we are not making the claims, but director Tigmanshu Dhulia has recently opened up about the same. According to the 58-year-old, Jaya helped him get out of a tough situation during the shoot of the 2003 crime romance Haasil.

Tigmanshu Dhulia, in a conversation with SCREEN, revealed that he and his team came face-to-face with a serious roadblock while trying to film Haasil at Allahabad University. The director added that the institution’s higher authorities believed that the movie portrayed student politics and showcased the university in a negative light.

Jaya Bachchan stepped in to help Tigmanshu Dhulia

The situation soon turned worse, and Tigmanshu Dhulia started receiving death threats. Not only was he summoned to the district magistrate’s office, but he was even warned that his shooting vehicles would be vandalized. Additionally, the authorities threatened that his face would be blackened, he would be made to sit on a donkey, and paraded across the city. “I started crying”, admitted the director.


That’s when Tigmanshu Dhulia sought Jaya Bachchan’s help to deal with the rising hostility. Hearing his plight, Jaya was quick to call the late politician and the general secretary of the Samajwadi Party, Amar Singh. Gradually, the revolt against Tigmanshu diminished. However, he was not allowed to use the word ‘Allahabad’ in his film, and the director abided by the instructions.

More about Haasil and Tigmanshu Dhulia

Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Haasil, set against the background of Allahabad’s student politics, stars Jimmy Sheirgill, Irrfan Khan, and Hrishitaa Bhatt in important roles. The movie centres around an ordinary student, Aniruddh, who gets ensnared in the murky world of in-campus power struggles and violence, influenced by the dangerous Ranvijay Singh. Besides Haasil, the director is also credited to films like Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, and Shagird, among others.