Director Rajiv Rai reveals why he hid for 20 Years, received threats from…, took CID training: 'I knew it was…'- Exclusive
Talking to India.com, Rajiv Rai recalled his anecdote and shared the reason behind disappearing from the cinema. He said, 'There were multiple reasons of leaving, for disappearing. I had to leave the country for certain reasons, including crime, attack, and unrest in the city. I was forced to leave and look after my son, who is autistic. I took a break because after 2004, when my father passed away, it was an emotionally disturbing period, and I lost the motivation to work. Ek sadness agayi thi life mai, I just thought, mai kaam nahi kar paaunga. (I thought I wouldn't be able to work). It was a complicated part of my life, where I was not able to make decisions. When you're confused, you just let it go.'
Rajiv Rai shares shocking details on receiving threats
In an exclusive conversation with India.com, Rajiv Rai talked about the 'darkest chapter of his life.' According to reports, Rajiv Rai was reportedly attacked in his office in 1997, soon after directing Gupt. 'When you get these notorious elements calling you and go to the police, they call you not to train you but to tell you how to deal with it. It was a psychological thing. I was told how to deal with things and was told to take precautions. I was not taught how to fire a gun; that never happened. I was explained the existing situation—where I stand, what might happen, what are the areas I should worry about, what I should do and not do,' said Mohra's director.
Rajiv Rai talked about how a Police Commissioner trained him while he was getting notorious calls from the underworld dons. He said, 'The Police Commissioner at that time felt that I should be explained. It was very casual; it was not a formal training. I was explained and told what I should expect out of this.'
What message did Rajiv Rai receive from the anonymous calls?
In 1997, when filmmaker Rajiv Rai first received calls from a notorious number, he revealed the first message he got during the call— and it was a death threat.
Rajiv Rai said, 'At that time, Bollywood was already on fire. There were many cases around me. They were notorious calls, probably for money, but it never got around to a threat. I was told, 'If I won't do this, I might be killed,' but it was not directly told to me. To the notorious people, I really never spoke. It gets very frustrating for you and for the person. So when that incident happened for the first time, I immediately knew what it was.' What is Rajiv Rai's upcoming film?
After taking a break from cinema for 20 years, director Rajiv Rai is set to release his upcoming film, Zora. It is written, directed, and produced by Rajiv Rai. The film's background score and music are composed by Viju Shah. The murder mystery is reportedly made on a modest budget of ₹2 crore. Zora will be released on 8 August 2025.
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Ab aaj main kisi ko ye nahi bata sakta ki ye show kar lo, ye kar lo, ya kis kism ki cheezein aapko karni chahiye, kyunki ye sab step by step and isme kismat ka bahut bada role hota hai, matlab main ye keh hi nahi sakta ki mere plan ke according kuch miracle nahi tha, maine kuch decisions liye the life mein, but kya main karu ya kya mere sath ho sakta ye apke control mein nahin hota, toh mere decisions ki wajah se cheezein hoti gayi, toh mujhe wahi lagta hai ki maze ke liye aaya tha, job chhodkar and I'm happy that things are happening.' (Then after coming here you were thrown into the pool, just like swimming is taught in a swimming pool, like they do that while teaching they throw you in the pool, so then you beat your hands and feet to learn, to struggle, to survive. So in Mumbai you had to run away to survive, but in 5-6 months my money ran out and then you needed things to survive and you also want to do work of your choice, so I removed that from my mind, at that time I was also doing ads and I was also working as an assistant director, along with that I was also doing some writing for TV and then 'Suleimani Keeda' happened, then TVF happened, then Pitchers happened and today, if somebody meets me and asks me what will happen, he has a lot of doubts, then I tell them that there is no formula, everyone has a different journey. Here everything comes from different ways, according to me if your intent is clear then you automatically work in that direction, and who knows what, somehow you start forming your own path. Now today I cannot tell anyone to show this, do that, or what kind of things you should do, because all this happens step by step and luck plays a very big role in it, meaning I cannot say that no miracle happened according to my plan, I had taken some decisions in life, but what I should do or what could happen to me was not in your control, so if things happened due to my decisions, then I still feel that I had come here for fun, after leaving my job and I am happy that things are happening.)
