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Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's Shocking Encounter with a Tantrik in Gaya
1 Oct, 2025
Summary
- Mahesh Bhatt struggled to secure film funding in his early career
- A tantrik in Gaya, Bihar offered Bhatt human flesh to feed to a potential investor
- Bhatt and his friend tried to trick the investor by wrapping the flesh in a paan
In the mid-1970s, renowned filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was going through a difficult period as he tried to get his early films off the ground. Bhatt, known for acclaimed movies like 'Aashiqui' and 'Sadak', recently recounted a shocking story from that struggling time in his career.
Bhatt explained that in his twenties, he was desperately seeking film investors. His friend Arun Desai, who was also facing financial challenges, suggested they meet a potential financier in Gaya, Bihar. On the way, they stopped in Varanasi to visit Arun's guru, a young tantrik who held a bottle of rum and danced. The tantrik immediately sensed Bhatt's skepticism about his practices.
The tantrik then instructed Bhatt and Arun to obtain a piece of human flesh from the Ganga ghats, wrap it in a paan, and feed it to the investor in Gaya. Feeling hopeless, Bhatt and Arun followed the tantrik's bizarre advice, hoping it would be the "key to this kingdom of money."
When they met the investor, a wealthy zamindar in the outskirts of Gaya, Bhatt and Arun carefully presented the paan containing the supposed human flesh. To their surprise, the investor began chewing it. However, a month later, Bhatt learned that their desperate attempt had failed to secure any financing.
