Muzammil Ibrahim Says He Had Nightmares Over Pooja Bhatt's Abuse On Set: 'I'd Pray To Allah To Save Me'
Last Updated:
Actor Muzammil Ibrahim shares his traumatic experience working with Pooja Bhatt, revealing abuse and its impact on his mental health.
Model-actor Muzammil Ibrahim made shocking confessions about his experience filming the 2007 movie Dhoka, claiming that working under director Pooja Bhatt left him emotionally scarred. In a new interview with Siddharth Kannan on his podcast, the actor opened up about the trauma he allegedly endured on set, revealing how it impacted his mental health.
Opening up on the traumatic experience, Muzammil said, 'Pooja Bhatt had a temperament which was very difficult and disrespectful towards actors. Mahesh Bhatt used to like me a lot. But Pooja said a lot of things about me. I don't want to go into the details of it. I was very respectful towards her, but she had a very abusive nature. She was extremely abusive."
The actor recalled how difficult the experience was for him. 'I went through hell during its shoot. I suffered a lot, and I was very young. I got into depression because of it. I used to have nightmares. Every morning, I would pray to Allah to save me from her."
Muzammil also claimed that Mahesh Bhatt was aware of the tension on set but was unable to fully intervene. 'He would ask Pooja to not behave with me like that, but she would do it when he was not around. The crew members and even Mukesh Bhatt told me stories about Pooja's behaviour and temper."
Due to the experience, Muzammil said he turned down future offers from the Bhatt camp. 'I was scared to work with the Bhatts again. Mahesh sir was very keen on casting me in Raaz 2. Even Soni Razdan pursued me for doing their films, but I refused all of them."
He further shared that after the film's release, Pooja Bhatt allegedly spoke poorly about him in the press. He recalled, 'I was called names in the media and accused of being unprofessional, but I didn't respond. I feared being boycotted."
Muzammil Ibrahim is best remembered for the hit remix track Pardesiya alongside Rakhi Sawant and films like Horn 'Ok' Pleassss and Will You Marry Me?. His last appearance was in the web series Special Ops.
First Published:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
2 days ago
- India.com
Meet actor, who debut film was super flop, dated Deepika Padukone for 2 years, Rakhi Sawant was his..., is now..., name is...
Do you remember Rakhi Sawant's Pardesiyaa music video? Well, the man who portrayed her boss in the video was actor Muzammil Ibrahim. He recently became the centre of social media buzz after years, thanks to his recent interview in which he claimed to have dated Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone. But do you know who this handsome hunk is? And why is name is creating headlines? Let's take a closer took at his career, background, and his past relationship with Deepika Padukone. Who is Muzammil Ibrahim? Muzammil Ibrahim was born on August 25, 1986 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. He garnered spotlight after his win at the Gladrags Manhunt India pageant in 2003. At 17, He became the youngest-ever winner in the contest's history. After this, in 2004, his family moved to Mumbai, which led to the beginning of his acting career. In 2007, he made his Bollywood debut opposite Pooja Bhatt in Dhokha . The film failed to become a success, but Muzammil's performance was noticed. After that, he appeared in films like Horn 'Ok' Pleassss (2009) and Will You Marry Me? (2012). He also featured in the popular espionage-thriller web series Special Ops (2022). He also garnered popularity after starring in music videos like, Pardesiyaa alongside Rakhi Sawant, and Kabhi Aisa Lagta Hai by Lucky Ali. Soon, he attained the title of 'Poster boy' because of his chiselled looks and sharp screen presence. Besides his entertainment career, Muzammil is also known for his act of courage. At the age of eight, he received the National Bravery Award for rescuing his schoolmate from drowning. Later, in 2008, he was honoured with the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award for saving a tourist in Goa. Recently, in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Muzammil spoke about his relationship with Deepika Padukone, revealing that he dated her during her initial days in Mumbai. ' We dated for 2 years. It was my first actual relationship. Deepika proposed to me first. We broke up because I left her,' he said. He also said that the two were in contact until Deepika got married to Ranveer Singh in 2018. During the same conversation, he also recalled their sweet auto-rickshaw dates during monsoon in Mumbai.
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Economic Times
Deepika Padukone's ex-boyfriend says '90s actress treated him 'heinously': 'She often called actors dogs'
Muzammil Ibrahim alleges mistreatment by Pooja Bhatt during his debut film 'Dhoka,' citing verbal abuse and a toxic environment. He claims Bhatt demeaned other actors and that Mahesh Bhatt, despite being supportive, couldn't prevent the emotional toll. Ibrahim also reveals a missed opportunity for a role in 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' due to biased casting agents. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Allegations of Abuse and Unfair Treatment A Fallout Rooted in Power Games Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Missed Opportunity in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Actor Muzammil Ibrahim has been on a tell-all spree recently. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, he claimed that he was treated 'heinously' by actress Pooja Bhatt in his debut film, 'Dhoka'. He claimed that the environment on set was hostile and alleged that Pooja Bhatt, who was significantly older than him, treated him with blatant disrespect. At just 20 years old, stepping into the film industry with high hopes, he was instead met with what he described as emotionally scarring Mahesh Bhatt, the producer and creative head of the project, was reportedly encouraging and kind to Muzammil, he said that Pooja's attitude created a toxic atmosphere. According to Muzammil, she dismissed him as 'unprofessional' and allowed damaging rumors about him to spread in the press. The situation was made worse by what he described as a complete lack of empathy, considering his age and the fact that he was entering the world of cinema for the first didn't hold back when recounting his experience on the sets of Dhoka. He claimed that Pooja Bhatt was verbally aggressive and often used foul language, creating an unsettling work environment. He felt unsupported and humiliated, which eventually affected his mental health. The actor said that her behavior intensified when Mahesh Bhatt wasn't around. Although Pooja was credited as the director, Muzammil alleged that it was Mahesh Bhatt who actually called the creative shots, directing the scenes while Pooja mainly handled the music the unpleasant experience, Muzammil shared that Mahesh Bhatt later offered him roles in Raaz 2 and a film project that Soni Razdan, Mahesh's wife, intended to direct. However, he turned down both offers. The trauma from his debut left him deeply shaken—he said he couldn't bring himself to work with them again and even began experiencing nightmares due to the psychological toll it took on also shared troubling anecdotes about Pooja's attitude toward other actors. He recalled her allegedly demeaning comments about John Abraham and Dino Morea, claiming she treated them as though they were beneath her.'Pooja has told actors in the past that they are like dogs, when I tell them to sit, they should sit, if I tell them to stand they should stand. She would say this about John and Dino. Someone who has this kind of attitude about their actors, imagine what kind of a person they would be," he controlling, dismissive attitude made him question her approach to filmmaking and actor relations. Although he wanted to stand up for himself, Muzammil admitted that he feared retaliation. He believed that the influential Bhatt family had the power to manipulate media narratives and damage his Dhoka, Muzammil discussed another heartbreak in his career—the role of Avi in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, which eventually went to Aditya Roy Kapur. Muzammil said that Ayan Mukerji, the film's director, originally envisioned him for the role. He also claimed he had even recommended Deepika Padukone's name for the project, emphasizing that their personal history had no bearing on his he said things changed when casting agents got involved. According to Muzammil, they miscommunicated and acted with bias, causing a rift between him and Ayan. Despite Ayan's supposed intention to give him the script, it never reached him. Muzammil alleged that the casting agents had their own agendas and played favorites, ultimately blocking his chance to be part of what became a revelations highlight the struggles many newcomers face in the film industry—especially when caught between internal politics and the weight of powerful personalities.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Deepika Padukone's ex-boyfriend says '90s actress treated him 'heinously': 'She often called actors dogs'
Actor Muzammil Ibrahim has been on a tell-all spree recently. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, he claimed that he was treated 'heinously' by actress Pooja Bhatt in his debut film, 'Dhoka'. He claimed that the environment on set was hostile and alleged that Pooja Bhatt, who was significantly older than him, treated him with blatant disrespect. At just 20 years old, stepping into the film industry with high hopes, he was instead met with what he described as emotionally scarring behaviour. While Mahesh Bhatt, the producer and creative head of the project, was reportedly encouraging and kind to Muzammil, he said that Pooja's attitude created a toxic atmosphere. According to Muzammil, she dismissed him as 'unprofessional' and allowed damaging rumors about him to spread in the press. The situation was made worse by what he described as a complete lack of empathy, considering his age and the fact that he was entering the world of cinema for the first time. Allegations of Abuse and Unfair Treatment Muzammil didn't hold back when recounting his experience on the sets of Dhoka. He claimed that Pooja Bhatt was verbally aggressive and often used foul language, creating an unsettling work environment. He felt unsupported and humiliated, which eventually affected his mental health. The actor said that her behavior intensified when Mahesh Bhatt wasn't around. Although Pooja was credited as the director, Muzammil alleged that it was Mahesh Bhatt who actually called the creative shots, directing the scenes while Pooja mainly handled the music sequences. Despite the unpleasant experience, Muzammil shared that Mahesh Bhatt later offered him roles in Raaz 2 and a film project that Soni Razdan, Mahesh's wife, intended to direct. However, he turned down both offers. The trauma from his debut left him deeply shaken—he said he couldn't bring himself to work with them again and even began experiencing nightmares due to the psychological toll it took on him. A Fallout Rooted in Power Games Muzammil also shared troubling anecdotes about Pooja's attitude toward other actors. He recalled her allegedly demeaning comments about John Abraham and Dino Morea, claiming she treated them as though they were beneath her. 'Pooja has told actors in the past that they are like dogs, when I tell them to sit, they should sit, if I tell them to stand they should stand. She would say this about John and Dino. Someone who has this kind of attitude about their actors, imagine what kind of a person they would be," he said. This controlling, dismissive attitude made him question her approach to filmmaking and actor relations. Although he wanted to stand up for himself, Muzammil admitted that he feared retaliation. He believed that the influential Bhatt family had the power to manipulate media narratives and damage his career. Missed Opportunity in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Beyond Dhoka, Muzammil discussed another heartbreak in his career—the role of Avi in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani , which eventually went to Aditya Roy Kapur. Muzammil said that Ayan Mukerji, the film's director, originally envisioned him for the role. He also claimed he had even recommended Deepika Padukone's name for the project, emphasizing that their personal history had no bearing on his casting. However, he said things changed when casting agents got involved. According to Muzammil, they miscommunicated and acted with bias, causing a rift between him and Ayan. Despite Ayan's supposed intention to give him the script, it never reached him. Muzammil alleged that the casting agents had their own agendas and played favorites, ultimately blocking his chance to be part of what became a blockbuster. Muzammil's revelations highlight the struggles many newcomers face in the film industry—especially when caught between internal politics and the weight of powerful personalities.
