Cash crunch, prison, lawsuit: The story of Vikram Bhatt’s Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past

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However, Vikram Bhatt said the film’s toughest challenge came not on set, but in his personal life. “And then life delivered its hardest blow. My wife and I were arrested on allegations that I maintain were false. I spent 75 days in prison while Haunted sat unfinished. The film waited while interest accumulated on borrowed money. At one point, sitting in prison, I made a phone call and suggested that the film be released without me. The answer that came back from Mr. Anand Pandit has stayed with me ever since. ‘No Vikram Bhatt, no film release.’ When I returned to Mumbai, I discovered that the post-production had stalled. Together with people who refused to abandon the project, we worked eighteen and twenty-hour days, doing whatever was necessary to bring the film to completion,” he shared.

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Just as the makers thought the worst was behind them, a legal hurdle threatened to derail the release. “Just when the finish line appeared a legal challenge threatened to stop the release of the film. Two days before release, nobody knew whether Haunted would actually make it into theatres. Distributors were nervous. Exhibitors were nervous. Years of effort seemed to hang in the balance. Then the film was cleared. Even then, due to the uncertainty surrounding the court order, the showcasing remained limited. The release entered theatres wounded. By every conventional yardstick, it should have struggled. Instead, something extraordinary happened. The audience arrived. In the end, all I wanted was for the world to meet Haunted. And when it finally did, That was enough. That was everything,” he concluded.

Haunted 3D Echoes of the Past box office

Vikram Bhatt’s horror drama Haunted 3D Echoes of the Past has outperformed recent theatrical releases, including Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, Manoj Bajpayee starrer Governer, and Kangana Ranaut’s Bharat Bhagya Vidhata in the opening weekend. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Haunted 3D has earned Rs 12.22 crore in five days.