Still reeling from shock and depression: Bhandarkar on Ash's pregnancy

Mumbai : Breaking his silence on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s pregnancy, Director Madhur  Bhandarkar said he is in a state of ‘shock’ after his project ‘Heroine’ was  unceremoniously shelved  following  news of her pregnancy. Bhandarkar also said that he was depressed for weeks as Heroine was his most precious project till date. “This decision of pulling the plug had a devastating effect on me. It was like an avalanche collapsing on me. I was in a state of total shock and depression. I have been working on the script for almost a year and a half”, he wrote on his blog. Aishwarya was to play the character of a once successful film actress Mahi Khanna, whose career is on the decline. On 28 June 28, Producers UTV Motion Pictures had said the shooting of  the much-talked-about ‘Heroine’ has been put on hold indefinitely as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was five-months pregnant. [caption id=“attachment_36751” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The filmmaker says he was devastated over the fact that the “truth was hidden” from him. AFP”]  [/caption] “Today, I am sitting alone in my office after the plugs being pulled off from my film Heroine. My conscience stands clear as I have been honest to my craft irrespective of the repercussions. No which way would I have trampled my dream project on which I have given my sweat and blood for almost one-and-a-half years. This was going to be my most ambitious project of my career,” Bhandarkar said. The filmmaker says he was devastated over the fact that the “truth was hidden” from him. Though he believes “motherhood is pious” and that women play an important role in his personal and professional life, he feels things could have been altered if he would have been informed even after the film’s annoucement May 13 at the 64th Cannes International Film Festival. “The entire event would not have taken place if on the onset the actress would have informed the state of her health and impending maternity. The truth was hidden from us. We learnt about the entire thing from news channels,” Bhandarkar said. The 42-year-old Bhandarkar, who has given hits like ‘Page 3’, ‘Chandni Bar’ and ‘Fashion’, remained silent, ever since producers UTV took the decision to stall the movie for the sake of Aishwarya’s health.   PTI