Pooja B accuses uncle of distrusting women/Shagufta walks out of camp

After Emraan Hashmi, Kunal Deshmukh and Mohit Suri, Bhatts' favourite writer Shagufta Rafique moves out of the camp.

While her friends were weaving dreams about Prince Charmings, Shagufta Rafique was dancing in bars in Dubai to support herself and her foster mother, Anwari Begum.

After a few years, she moved to Mumbai and started assisting Mahesh Bhatt. She then went on to write the dialogue and screenplay for films likeWoh Lamhe, Awarapan, Dhokha, Raaz 2 and Raaz 3, Jashn, Murder 2, Jannat 2, Jism 2 and Aashiqui 2 which borrowed from her own life.

"I'm supposed to be the love child of Saeeda, producer Brij Sadanah's wife. That is the strangest rumour I have heard about myself. The man (Brij) mistrusted his wife, turned into an alcoholic and one day, shot Saeeda and their daughter, then turned the gun on himself. Just like this story, my life has had plenty of ups and downs" says Shagufta.

Now, the prolific writer from the Bhatt camp is ready to turn director. The twist in the tale is that she has walked out of Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt's company and collaborated with Pooja Bhatt and Bhushan Kumar.

Her directorial debut, a Richa Chaddha- Ali Fazal starrer, is a sensuous love story which will roll in December. "It deals with a gang rape. The scene is a nineminute sequence with Mukul Dev as the mastermind and a juvenile involved. I wrote the script seven years ago. A top corporate was ready to produce it but wanted a say in the cast. That wasn't acceptable to me, So I took the script back," recalls Shagufta.

Why didn't she go to the Bhatts? Buzz is, there was an issue between the Bhatt brothers over credits of Aashiqui 2. "Yes, I have moved out from that company," she admits. "Mukesh would have never agreed to my directing a film which is why I told Mahesh not to push for me."

Her producer, Pooja, explains, "Shagufta wants to fly, she wants her voice to be heard. Mukesh Bhatt distrusts women."

Shagufta adds, "He has a setup he is secure in, with Mohit (Suri) and Kunal (Deshmukh). But even they have given flops. Scripts fail, women directors don't."

So, will she go back to Bhatts? "If they want me to direct a film for them, sure," she says shortly. "But if they want me to just write for them, then no."