Kunal kohli

Hum Tum director kept out of Shaadi No 1 premiere

Kunal Kohli is angry with Vashu Bhagnani for the rotten reception he received at the latter's premiere

Kunal M Shah

Kunal Kohli might never watch Vashu Bhagnani's Shaadi No. 1 after he was humiliated at its premiere on Wednesday night at Cinemax, in Versova. Kohli, who drove to the premiere, was made to shuffle between the three entrances of the outer premises, as gatekeepers kept denying him entry through their respective gates.

When Kohli requested one of them to permit his wife to enter while he found place to park his car, he was refused again. The director had to drive all around the block towards Fame Adlabs and back again to be told by one of the gatekeepers to make pace for Vashu Bhagnani's entourage. "Vashuji ki baraat yahah se ah rahe hai. (Vashuji's entourage will pass through here)," is what the man said. By this time, Kohli, although frustrated, tried for the last time to get through another gate, but he was deterred with the claim that that was the gate through which the entourage would exit. An angry and humiliated Kohli left the premises.

Kohli says, "I don't know what to say. It's humiliating and frustrating. When you don't want people to enter the hall, why do you invite them? Vashuji is a big man and perhaps did not want a small director like me to come and watch his film."

When asked if Bhagnani was aware of the incident, Kohli says, "When the security people were banging on my bonnet and asking me to get out in insulting tones, I could see Vashuji with his baraat just behind my car. I am surprised that despite witnessing the incident, he did not react at all. This kind of behaviour is unexplainable. I understand if there are parking problems but how can someone insult someone else in such a humiliating way. My car was being banged and they asked me to get out. I have never faced such humiliation like this before."

He adds, "I thought that he would at least send me a SMS or call to say he was sorry but I am surprised that he did not even do that. How can some people behave this way? I think humiliating people is in fashion these days, considering that even Karan Johar and Gauri Khan were asked to leave the PNC trial. If you want to call people and insult them in such a fashion, don't call them at all. You can keep the Shaadi and the baraati to yourself," raged Kohli.

When asked if he would ever attend another Vashu Bhagnani function, he retorted "Would you attend one if you went through a similar humiliation?"