When Mithun Chakraborty's Street Yelling Taught Pooja Bhatt About Film Economics
Popular 1990s actress Pooja Bhatt recently shared a memorable incident from her filming days that taught her a crucial lesson about movie-making economics. During an episode of The Pooja Bhatt Show featuring Avtar Gill, Bhatt recalled being publicly yelled at by veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty after she requested another take during shooting.
The Naaraaz Shooting Incident in Malaysia
The incident occurred while filming Naaraaz in Malaysia on a public road. Pooja Bhatt explained that her father and director Mahesh Bhatt becomes agitated with crowds and wanted to wrap up after two takes. However, Pooja felt unsatisfied with the shot and decided to intervene.
Mithun Chakraborty, her co-star in the film, noticed her hesitation and asked what was wrong. When Pooja expressed that she didn't think the shot was good enough, Mithun da responded dramatically in the middle of the street. He yelled, "Eh, Aamir Khan ka bhoot tumhare andar se nikalo, kya stock ghar se laa rahi ho?" which translates to "Get Aamir Khan's spirit out of you. Are you buying the raw stock?"
The Reality of Film Economics in Pre-Digital Era
This outburst highlighted a fundamental aspect of filmmaking that today's generation might not understand. Before the era of digital cameras, movies were shot on raw stock film, and every time the camera rolled, expensive film stock was consumed, directly adding to the production budget.
Actors were expected to rehearse thoroughly before shooting to minimize wasted stock. Unlike contemporary practices where multiple takes are common, in that era, it typically wasn't the actor's place to request additional takes due to the immediate financial implications.
The Aamir Khan Connection and Perfectionism
Mithun's reference to Aamir Khan wasn't random. Before Naaraaz, Pooja had worked with Aamir Khan in Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahi, also directed by her father Mahesh Bhatt. Mahesh had previously described Aamir as "a sincere boy but a victim of an ailment of the burden of perfection which kind of weighs you and people around you."
In another interview with Radio Nasha, Mahesh Bhatt revealed an extreme example of Aamir's perfectionism, noting that the actor spent ten hours discussing what his cap should look like in the film. This reputation for meticulous attention to detail apparently became industry knowledge that Mithun Chakraborty referenced when he felt Pooja was being unnecessarily perfectionistic about the shot.
The November 27, 2025 revelation provides fascinating insight into the practical constraints of 1990s filmmaking and the dynamic between these prominent Bollywood personalities during the making of Naaraaz.
