Madhur
Bhandarkar's
2001
film
Chandni
Bar
starring
Tabu
and
Atul
Kulkarni
is
considered
to
be
one
of
his
most
celebrated
works
for
its
realistic
story-telling
and
heart
wrenching
performances.
The
film
which
proved
to
be
a
turning
point
in
Bhandarkar's
career
clocks
20
years
today
(September
28,
2021).
In
an
interaction
with
a
leading
daily,
the
filmmaker
spoke
at
length
about
the
challenges
he
faced
while
making
this
movie.
Madhur
revealed
that
his
first
visit
to
a
dance
bar
in
Mumbai
actually
nudged
him
to
make
Chandni
Bar.
Recounting
that
experience,
the
Fashion
director
shared
with
Hindustan
Times,
"I
was
uncomfortable
and
embarrassed
when
a
friend
took
me
to
a
dance
bar
as
I
was
worried
that
someone
would
recognise
me.
I
began
observing
these
girls
draped
in
flashy
chiffon
sarees,
ghagra
cholis
and
churidars
dancing
to
jarring
music.
That
night
before
I
went
to
sleep,
those
visuals
began
flashing
before
my
eyes."
He
also
praised
Tabu
for
doing
the
film
revealing
that
she
was
his
first
and
the
first
choice
for
this
social
drama.
Bhandarkar
said
that
he
would
have
been
disappointed
if
Tabu
had
turned
down
the
film.
"She
loved
the
script.
I
wrote
the
story
keeping
her
in
my
mind.
She
was
my
first
and
last
choice.
I
would've
been
very
disappointed
if
she
turned
down
the
film.
She
was
doing
commercial
films
at
that
point.
To
play
a
mother
to
two
children
wasn't
easy," the
filmmaker
told
the
tabloid.
He
also
opened
up
on
the
problems
he
faced
while
releasing
the
film
and
revealed
that
he
was
told
by
many
prominent
people
that
the
title
Chandni
Bar
was
very
sleazy
and
down-market.
However,
things
changed
when
the
Tabu-starrer
bagged
a
National
Award.
"What
we
see
on
OTT
today
was
seen
in
the
film
at
that
time
as
it
was
hard-hitting
and
real;
the
language
was
harsh.
A
lot
of
prominent
people
told
me
that
Chandni
Bar
is
a
very
sleazy
and
down-market
title.
But
things
changed
overnight
as
the
film
went
on
to
win
a
National
Award:
"From
a
nobody,
I
became
known
as
a
filmmaker
who
makes
realistic
cinema.
When
I
received
the
award
from
late
Dr
APJ
Abdul
Kalam
saab,
I
couldn't
believe
it.
Tabu
kept
asking
me
how
I'm
feeling
and
I
was
just
speechless,"
the
director
shared
with
the
tabloid.
Over
the
years,
there
have
been
various
speculations
around
a
sequel
to
Chandni
Bar.
Bhandarkar
addressed
these
media
reports
and
said,
"Mumbai
bars
shut
in
2005
and
I
kept
wondering
what
happened
to
these
women.
I've
been
researching
on
it
since
2005.
Many
of
them
died
by
suicide,
some
went
abroad.
There's
a
lot
of
pathos
and
emotions
attached
to
their
stories.
With
Chandni
Bar
2.0,
I
want
to
revisit
that
zone.
I'm
intrigued.
I'm
craving
to
tell
the
story.
I
have
some
ideas
but
haven't
streamlined
it
yet."
Chandni
Bar
revolves
around
a
displaced
woman
who
is
forced
to
become
a
bar
dancer,
and
sire
children
of
a
gangster.