Rahul Dholakia Recalls Shooting Raees With SRK While His Mom Was In ICU: 'It Was A Nightmare'
Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia, best known for Raees, Parzania and Lamhaa, recently opened up about the physical and emotional toll that directing a film can take. In a candid conversation with The Times of India, Dholakia revealed he suffered major health setbacks — including diabetes, high blood pressure and even a heart attack — while working on different films.
Reflecting on the intensity of the filmmaking process, Dholakia admitted that it often comes at the cost of one's mental and physical well-being. 'I've had diabetes after one film, blood pressure after another, and a heart attack after one more," he shared.
The Raees director also discussed the emotional toll he experienced during the shoot of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer. He revealed that during the first schedule of Raees, his mother was in the ICU, and he was dealing with chronic pain himself. Despite the personal turmoil, he couldn't afford to step away from the set.
'My mom was in the ICU, I was suffering from chronic pain… but I couldn't take off. SRK was on set, and I had to shoot," Dholakia recalled. 'I would stay with my mom at the hospital at night, then come to set and pretend everything was normal. It was a nightmare but you can't bring your problems on set."
Dholakia also pointed out how discussing mental health is still considered taboo in the film industry. 'Our industry is such a performance-driven industry that people are afraid to say they're not well. There's always a fear of being dropped. No one wants to look weak," he said.
He urged others in the industry to prioritise their mental health and seek help when needed. 'That's a big problem — it's always do or die. Your life is yours. Don't let anyone take it away from you. If you feel low, don't feel shy to take help — you have to look after yourself."
First Published:
August 06, 2025, 03:26 IST
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