Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has expressed surprise over the overwhelming response to ‘Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past’, saying that while he believed the film would perform well, he never anticipated its ‘success’ on such a scale amid competition from bigger star-driven projects.
Speaking about the film, Bhatt said, “No one had expected that the film. I mean, I had expected that the film would run. But I didn’t expect that it would run like this. It’s such a big film, among such star cast films.”
Recalling the circumstances that led to the film’s release, the acclaimed filmmaker said repeated scheduling challenges left the makers with little option but to move forward and trust the audience.
“First, we were coming on May 22. Then, on May 22, the number of films increased. We came on June 12. Then on June 12, the number of films increased. Then we thought, if we go ahead, there’s ‘Cocktail’, then ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, then this, then how much will we delay? So, we said, leave it to God. Come. If it’s good, it will work. If it’s not good, it won’t work,” he said.
Drawing a lesson from the experience, Bhatt added, “The lesson from this is, leave it to God. As it is said in the Gita, do good, don’t worry about the result.”
The filmmaker credited the film’s audience and said his confidence came from years of interacting with viewers.
“I trusted my audience,” Bhatt said.
“Because, see, this audience is in touch with me. On Instagram, on Facebook, wherever I go. And in all these years, I understand what they like, what they don’t like. I knew my audience would come. I don’t know how many there will be. I don’t know how big the audience will be. But my audience is there, and my audience will definitely come.”
Bhatt said he was aware that a loyal section of viewers regularly watches his films.
“There are some people who watch my films. There are some fans of my work who come to watch my films. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on how they liked the promo or the songs. So, I knew that some people would come. I didn’t expect such a big commotion.”
Addressing the issue of fake publicity and exaggerated box office collections, Bhatt said such tactics have a limited impact.
“Whatever you fake, you can only do it till the weekend. Because on Monday, your story will be out. The public knows everything. The public says that it is a lie. So, the film cannot be run. The film runs. Or the film doesn’t run,” he said.
The ace director noted that while his team carried out extensive promotions, they focused their efforts on digital platforms and markets where they knew the film had a strong audience base.
“By the way, we had done a lot of publicity. But, we had chosen to do it on Instagram, Facebook, Second Tier Cities. So, wherever we knew that we had an audience, we did it there,” he said.
The filmmaker also revealed that legal and production hurdles prevented him from enjoying the film’s release.
“I couldn’t even attend the premiere. Because, on the day of the premiere, I came to know that there was a problem. My wife and I left the premiere. Actually, I haven’t enjoyed the release of the film yet. I am doing it now.”
He also spoke about the challenges the film faced in securing adequate screenings despite generating strong bookings.
“We had received the order. But we didn’t have the order. The opposite side’s lawyer had also written a letter to the court asking us to release the film. But he was saying that we won’t release it until we get the order. By the time we got the order, it was already Thursday,” he said.
According to him, ‘Haunted 3’ recorded the highest advance booking among competing releases but was allotted the fewest shows.
“We had the least number of shows,” he said, adding, “The most advance means the most demand. The film with the most demand got the least number of shows.”
Earlier, while speaking about ‘Haunted 3D’, Vikram Bhatt described it as much more than a horror movie, revealing that the journey of making the film was as dramatic as the story on screen.
Bhatt said while ‘Haunted’ carries the same title as his earlier film, the new movie tells a completely different story.
He shared, “Haunted was made a few years ago, but this story is completely different from that. There is no continuation. Yes, the continuation is that the name is Haunted and there is a Mimoh (Mimoh Chakraborty) in it, and I am the director.”
Calling it a departure from the recent trend of horror-comedies, the filmmaker said Haunted is a pure horror film that also carries strong emotional elements.
“Haunted is not just a horror film. It’s a beautiful story filled with emotion and love. For a long time, we have mostly seen horror-comedies. If you want to watch a pure horror film with good music and a great love story, then Haunted is for you,” he said.
Vikram Bhatt’s ‘Haunted 3D’ released in theatres on June 12. (Inputs by ANI)
