Jugal Hansraj on seeing 35-40 of his films getting shelved: ‘It would bring me to tears..’

After his failures, Jugal Hansraj learnt that being in the film industry is 'tough' and if someone is entering this field, they "must accept" its reality.

Jugal Hansraj is a widely acclaimed actor, director and author. (Source: PR handout)

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

Jugal Hansraj, who started his career as a child actor, gained popularity with his roles in films like Masoom and Karma. Apart from acting, Jugal also directed and wrote films. However, the 50-year-old has revealed that he faced a lot of criticism when his films got shelved, which reduced him to tears.

In a recent interview, Jugal remembered being labelled a ‘jinx’ and people mocking him at film events. “I’ve been called various names and labelled as a jinx. Moreover, the numerous films that never even started production led people to mock me. They would make comments like, “Oh, it’s about time Jugal attends mahurats of his own films,” the actor told Times of India.

The Mohabbatein actor revealed that it was a difficult time for him when the films he had signed were repeatedly getting shelved. This situation brought him to tears. He added, “When I received calls saying that the film I had signed and was supposed to start soon was no longer happening, I would simply say, ‘Thank you’ and hang up. I became numb to it.”

Story continues below this ad

Also read | Vikram Vedha: No, Hrithik Roshan, the movie isn’t too ‘cerebral’, it’s just convoluted

Jugal shared the unfortunate reality of having 35-40 films shelved. He explained that during the 90s, many commitments were made through handshakes rather than legal contracts. Disappointingly, these promised projects never materialised. Jugal also mentioned a script that was finalised with Farhan Akhtar and Riteish Deshmukh but was ultimately shelved due to rights issues. He added that it was a ‘series of missed opportunities and waiting periods.’

After his failures, the actor learnt that being in the film industry is ‘tough’ and if someone is entering this field, they “must accept” its reality. Jugal said, “It was challenging because even the people you consider friendly or nice to you can change based on the success or failure of your movies.”

On the work front, Jugal was recently seen on the show Mismatched Season 2.

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.