4 min readMumbaiJun 11, 2026 11:49 AM IST
Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, who was released from jail after spending 70 days behind bars following his arrest in connection with a dispute over a proposed biopic on the life of Indira Murdia, the late wife of Indira IVF founder Ajay Murdia, is now gearing up for the release of his upcoming horror sequel, Haunted: Echoes of the Past. Recently, he opened up about how his time in prison affected some of his personal relationships.
‘Some friends no longer speak to me’
In a conversation with ANI, he revealed that some friends distanced themselves from him after his incarceration. “There are some friends who no longer speak to me, even though they used to before. Maybe they believe I did something wrong, or perhaps they simply don’t want to associate with someone who has been to jail. That could be the reason. But I always think that those who know me don’t believe me. Those who believe me don’t really know me,” he said.
During the same interview, Bhatt also spoke about filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, whom he considers a mentor and father figure. Addressing the criticism that Mahesh Bhatt did not publicly express support during his imprisonment, Vikram defended him. “He has been in touch with me. In fact, he sent me a long message just yesterday for Haunted. If he didn’t make any public statement or chose to remain silent, it was probably because he didn’t want to escalate the matter or provoke it unnecessarily. Perhaps he felt that if he said something and it upset people, it could have worsened my situation. So he thought it was better to stay quiet.”
He added, “He has always stood by me. He even says, ‘Even if he were a thief, he is still my son.’ I think he handled the situation very maturely because he also knew it was a legal matter and that it would ultimately be resolved through the legal process.”
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‘I almost died there in jail’
Earlier, in a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Vikram recalled the severe health crisis he endured while in prison. “I almost died there in jail. I suffer from an autoimmune condition. I have pain in my joints and muscles, and there you have to sleep on a mat on the floor. It was December and January, and it was extremely cold.” Bhatt further revealed that he developed jaundice during his stay and repeatedly sought medical attention.
“I also got jaundice and kept telling the authorities to take me to a hospital. At night, I would get such high fever from the cold that the people in my barrack would give me their blankets. Even then, I would keep shivering. I told the authorities to take me to a hospital. They would say, ‘Tomorrow’ or ‘The day after.’ My cellmates would also tell them that I was very ill. But they said they didn’t have enough guards and that security arrangements were required.” Believing that he would not receive treatment in time, Bhatt said he turned to faith to recover.
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“Then I felt they were never going to take me. So I started doing what I had done earlier when I had jaundice. I stopped eating oily food completely and survived on gram, water and fruits. Slowly, I began to recover. I prayed a lot and got in touch with my God because of this experience.”
Why Vikram Bhatt was in jail?
Vikram Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, were arrested in December 2025 in connection with a dispute over a proposed biopic on the life of Indira Murdia, the late wife of Indira IVF founder Ajay Murdia. According to the FIR, Murdia met Bhatt in Mumbai in April 2024 to discuss the project, which was intended to chronicle his wife’s life as well as his work in the field of infertility treatment. The complaint alleged that the two sides had also discussed a separate historical war film. However, differences reportedly emerged over financial matters, eventually leading to legal proceedings. The couple was granted bail in February this year.
