Meghna Gulzar had arrived, her friends and family were euphoric with her success. I remember a picture where Mahesh Bhatt and Gulzar embraced each other for a long time after the screening of Raazi, both proud fathers of proud daughters. While in Goa for the international film festival Meghna told me that Raazi almost didn’t happen and when it was about to happen, two producers she had approached at different times were fighting for the rights. But when something wonderful has to happen everything falls into place. It did this time too and smoothly.
Showbusiness is a slippery place where nobody, even those on the top are never secure, ask the superstars who go through recurrent pressures of delivering superhits. Everyone is seeking a mirage here and and the strongest are threatened by the smallest pebble that can damage a dream and ravage the efforts of a long time. In 2018 just as Meghna Gulzar was gearing for the release of Chhapaak based on the acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, the JNU controversy erupted and like a sudden eclipse overshadowed everything.
The incident is a learning experience for every artiste and filmmaker and it took a lot of effort for Meghna Gulzar to distract her mind to her next script, on the life of Field Marshal F J Manekshaw.