Vikram Bhatt on filmmaking: 'Every director is a child seeking the audience's ear'
Synopsis
Vikram Bhatt has offered a rare window into the emotional engine of filmmaking — comparing every director to a child desperately wanting their mother's attention. Speaking during 'Haunted 3D' promotions, he argues that genuine excitement is the only valid reason to make a film. It's a disarmingly simple philosophy from one of Bollywood's most prolific horror directors.
Key Takeaways
Vikram Bhatt described the filmmaker-audience bond as akin to a child seeking a mother's attention, speaking during 'Haunted 3D' promotions in Mumbai .
Bhatt said a filmmaker should only pursue a project when driven by genuine excitement and the urge to share a story.
He defended the delayed release of Anurag Kashyap's 'Black Friday' , citing the sub judice status of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. 'Haunted 3D' stars Mimoh Chakraborty , Chetna Pande , Shruti Prakash , Gaurav Bajpai , Praneet Bhatt , and Hemant Pandey .
The film uses the latest 3D technology to heighten its horror experience and is currently playing in cinemas.
Director Vikram Bhatt has drawn a deeply personal parallel between filmmaking and childhood, describing the filmmaker-audience relationship as one between a child and a mother — driven by the urgent need to share something exciting. Bhatt was speaking during the promotional circuit for his recently released horror film 'Haunted 3D' in Mumbai.
The Child and the Mother Analogy
'There has to be something that excites me. There has to be something that you're dying to tell. You know, even as a kid, when you have something amazing, you keep saying, 'mom, listen to me',' Bhatt said.
'And mom's like, 'What is it?' And then you say something and mom says, 'Really?' or she says, 'Okay, big deal'. So I think every filmmaker is that child who's telling the audience, listen to me, listen to this. I got this good, I got this great one. I got this great one for you'. And when you feel that excitement, you should make the film,' he added.
The analogy captures something filmmakers rarely articulate publicly — that the creative impulse is less about craft and more about the primal need to be heard. For Bhatt, that emotional urgency is the litmus test for whether a project is worth pursuing at all.
Bhatt's Take on Anurag Kashyap and 'Black Friday'
During the same interaction, Bhatt also weighed in on the prolonged legal battle surrounding filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's 'Black Friday', which was withheld from release for years because the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case remained sub judice at the time. Bhatt acknowledged that while 'Black Friday' is a 'fine piece of cinematic art', the delay in its theatrical release was, in his view, justified given the ongoing judicial proceedings. He described the experience as an 'imperative journey' for Kashyap as a filmmaker.
Notably, the remarks reflect a broader tension in Indian cinema between artistic freedom and the legal sensitivities surrounding real-life tragedies — a debate that has resurfaced periodically over the years.
About 'Haunted 3D'
Bhatt's 'Haunted 3D' features Mimoh Chakraborty, Chetna Pande, Shruti Prakash, Gaurav Bajpai, Praneet Bhatt, and Hemant Pandey. The film positions itself as a technologically upgraded horror experience, leveraging the latest 3D filmmaking tools to intensify scares and deliver a more immersive theatrical experience. The film is currently running in cinemas and has reportedly been receiving a positive response from audiences.
What's Next
With 'Haunted 3D' still in theatres, Bhatt's comments on the filmmaker's emotional relationship with the audience add a reflective dimension to the film's promotional narrative. Whether the film's box-office run matches its early positive reception will be the real test of that child-mother connection he describes.
Point of View
He cuts to something rawer — the need for validation. What's worth noting is that this philosophy has commercial implications: Bhatt has consistently made films that prioritise audience emotion over critical approval, and 'Haunted 3D' fits that template precisely. His defence of the 'Black Friday' delay also signals a conservative reading of artistic freedom — one that places judicial process above creative urgency. That position will not sit well with everyone, but it is at least consistent with his broader worldview that the audience, like a mother, is the final arbiter.
NationPress
25 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Vikram Bhatt say about the filmmaker-audience relationship?
Vikram Bhatt compared the filmmaker-audience relationship to that of a child and a mother, saying every filmmaker is essentially a child trying to get the audience to 'listen to me'. He said this emotional excitement should be the primary reason to make a film.
What is 'Haunted 3D' and who stars in it?
'Haunted 3D' is Vikram Bhatt's horror film currently running in cinemas, featuring Mimoh Chakraborty, Chetna Pande, Shruti Prakash, Gaurav Bajpai, Praneet Bhatt, and Hemant Pandey. The film uses advanced 3D technology to enhance its horror experience.
What did Vikram Bhatt say about Anurag Kashyap's 'Black Friday'?
Bhatt said it was 'imperative' for Anurag Kashyap to go through the experience of having 'Black Friday' withheld from release. He argued the delay was justified because the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case was still sub judice, even though he acknowledged the film as a fine piece of cinematic art.
Why does Vikram Bhatt believe excitement is key to filmmaking?
Bhatt believes a filmmaker should only make a film when genuinely excited about the story, drawing a parallel to a child's irrepressible urge to share something amazing with their mother. He sees that emotional urgency as the core creative driver.
