7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Raees director Rahul Dholakia says he shot Shah Rukh Khan's film while his mother was in ICU: ‘It was a nightmare'
Bollywood filmmaker Rahul Dholakia, known for his National Film Award-winning film Parzania and Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees, recently opened up about how mental health remains a stigma in the industry. In an interview with Times of India, Rahul recalled how he shot Raees while his mother was in the ICU and acted normal on set. Rahul Dholakia reveals why shooting Shah Rukh Khan's Raees was a nightmare.
Rahul Dholakia on shooting Raees while his mother was in ICU
Rahul spoke about suffering from diabetes after one film, blood pressure issues after another, and a heart attack after yet another. While discussing the stress of filmmaking, he revealed that managing the cast and crew of a film is a different challenge altogether.
He further recalled shooting Raees while his mum was in the ICU and said, '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. 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.'
Rahul Dholakia on mental health stigma in film industry
The filmmaker also spoke about how mental health is still a taboo subject on film sets, saying, '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. That's a big problem, it's always do or die.'
About Rahul Dholakia
Rahul began his career making documentaries and commercials, and even ran a TV station called TV Asia for a while. He made his Bollywood directorial debut with Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar in 2002. He followed this with Parzania, a film based on the real-life story of 10-year-old Parsi boy Azhar Mody, known as Parzan, who disappeared during the 28 February 2002 Gulbarg Society massacre. The film earned him the National Award for Best Director.
In 2017, he directed Raees, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Mahira Khan, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The film received mixed reviews upon release but still emerged as a box-office success, earning ₹281.45 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹92 crore. Rahul's most recent film was Agni, starring Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Jitendra Joshi, Saiyami Kher and Kabir Shah in lead roles. The film is available to watch on Prime Video.
