Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia recently opened up about the trouble he faced while shooting for his debut film Haasil in his hometown Allahabad (now Prayagraj). The director revealed that the film’s depiction of student politics led to a strong backlash from local political figures, forcing him to seek help from Jaya Bachchan.Released in 2003, Haasil earned critical acclaim for its gritty portrayal of campus politics in Uttar Pradesh. The film also marked Dhulia’s first collaboration with Irrfan Khan, who later worked with him in acclaimed films such as Paan Singh Tomar and Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster. Featuring strong performances by Irrfan Khan, Ashutosh Rana, Jimmy Shergill the film became known for its raw portrayal of student politics in the Hindi heartland.‘People thought I was showing the university in a bad light’In a conversation with The Lallantop, Dhulia said that problem began almost immediately after filming the opening scene featuring Ashutosh Rana’s character. He said, “When I was shooting Haasil in Allahabad, the very first scene we shot was Ashutosh Rana’s entry. In the film, he plays the university president. In a story, if there is Ram there must also be Ravan. Since I shot the ‘Ravan’ scene first, people felt I was portraying the university in a bad light.”“There used to be a student leader in the university named Lakshmi Shankar Ojha. In the film, Ashutosh’s character was named Lakshmi Shankar Pandey (which was later changed to Gauri Shankar Pandey). Soon I got a phone call saying, ‘You are making a film about us.’ Of course I couldn’t say to them, ‘Who are you that I would make a film on you?’”‘They said they would blacken my face, make me parade on a donkey’Dhulia revealed that tensions escalated quickly and he was called to the district magistrate’s office.“It was the first time a film shoot was happening in the city. I hadn’t yet become ‘Tigmanshu Dhulia’; it was my first film. I had gone to my hometown very excited, thinking I would shoot there,” he said.“But soon people became very active and I was summoned to the District Magistrate’s office. Around 20–25 former presidents of Allahabad University were present there. They surrounded me and began threatening me.”Story continues below this adAccording to the filmmaker, the threats were severe. “They said they would break the windows of Yatri Hotel, set it on fire, blacken my face and make me sit on a donkey and parade me around the city.”ALSO READ: Vijay makes public appearance with Trisha days after wife Sangeetha files for divorce, watch video‘I was terrified and started crying’Dhulia admitted that the situation affected him emotionally. “This was in 2001. I got scared and started crying. All my emotions came out. I had come to my own city, and I felt humiliated there. I am also a graduate of Allahabad University,” he said.He added that he later realised the situation had been driven largely by local political rivalries. “At the time I didn’t fully understand it, but later I realised politics had entered the matter.”Story continues below this adJaya Bachchan stepped inThe situation eventually de-escalated after Dhulia reached out to Jaya Bachchan, who helped resolve the issue. “I had to call Jaya Bachchan ji. If she hadn’t helped, it would have been a big problem. She got Amar Singh ji to intervene and the matter was settled,” he said.As a result of the controversy, the filmmaker made a crucial change to the film. “It was then decided that I wouldn’t mention the city’s name in the film. That’s why you will not find the name Allahabad anywhere in Haasil.”Irrfan was not the first choice for HaasilInterestingly, Irrfan Khan was not Dhulia’s original choice for the role. In an earlier interview with SCREEN, the filmmaker revealed that he had first approached his longtime friend Manoj Bajpayee, who had recently become a star after Satya.“See honestly, I didn’t go to Irrfan initially. Because Satya had already released, so I went to Manoj Bajpayee and he had become a star. Manoj and I were very good friends, we still are. When I narrated the story to him, he said, ‘I won’t play a villain’s role.’ I told him, ‘Yes, he is a villain, but not that kind of villain, he is an interesting villain.’ But he is my friend; once he refused, I didn’t go back to him again. I didn’t even try much to convince him further.”Story continues below this adDhulia went on to explain how Irrfan Khan eventually came on board. “Then I went to Irrfan and he already knew that I had pitched it to Manoj before. I sent him to Allahabad ten days before the shoot and handed him over to some of my friends. That’s it. He explored the place, met people, I don’t really know what he did , but he grabbed the character immediately, right there and then.”Haasil eventually emerged as a landmark film in Dhulia’s career and played a crucial role in cementing Irrfan Khan’s reputation as one of the most compelling actors of his generation.