MUMBAI: After creating critically acclaimed projects such as Shahid, Faraaz and Scam 1992, filmmaker Hansal Mehta has become a name to reckon in the film industry. But there was a time when he was fired by producer Ekta Kapoor from K Street Pali Hill.

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In an interview with Mid-Day, the director looked back on his career and the phase when he was working on television. He said he was fired from the project by Balaji Telefilms chief Ekta. Many years later, Ekta launched his career in the web space with the show Bose: Dead or Alive.

During the conversation, Hansal shared that filmmaker Sanjay Gupta ‘saved’ his life by offering him the opportunity to direct the film Woodstock Villa. The film was the launch vehicle for Kirron Kher’s son Sikandar.

Today, he is thankful to Sanjay for giving him a job which led to a steady income. It was at a time when he had ‘reached a point where (he) could not survive’.

“I tried to do an Ekta Kapoor show, K Street Pali Hill. It was a daily soap; I went in to direct that. I was sacked in 15 days,” he said.

Here, he asserts that Ekta was very polite to him. Recalling the incident, he said, “Ekta told me, ‘Sir, it’s too much like a film’. This was 2005. I was sacked very politely. Unlike what people have heard… Very politely she called me and said, ‘Sir, it’s too much like a film. Our shows don’t work because of this. We have a format, we follow that, and I don’t want you to do it. So please leave’.” At that time, he did a show for a different channel -- a gangster drama.

Life came a full circle when Ekta backed his start in the OTT space by launching his show Bose: Dead or Alive on AltBalaji. In the interview. He said Ekta has “to be credited for my entry in long-form”.

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When it comes to the web space, Hansal gained prominence with the super successful series Scam 1992 The Harshad Mehta Story, following it up with Netflix’s Scoop. At the moment, he is busy with his next project about Mahatma Gandhi, which stars Pratik Gandhi. He will return to direct the third season of Scam.

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Credits - Hindustan Times