When Kangana Ranaut claimed Mahesh Bhatt threw a chappal at her at 'Woh Lamhe' screening: 'He was about to come and beat me, his daughter held him back'

Kangana Ranaut is known for making bold statements about the film industry. She has often spoken out against actors and filmmakers, revealing its darker side. In this throwback, we look at the time when the Queen actress claimed that veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt threw a chappal at the screening of her film Woh Lamhe.
Twitter Spat with Pooja Bhatt Revives Old Controversy
The incident dates back to 2020 when Kangana's team had a heated exchange with Pooja Bhatt on Twitter. Pooja pointed out that Kangana got her Bollywood break through Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt’s Vishesh Films. In response, Kangana’s team hit back, saying that didn’t give Mahesh Bhatt the right to throw chappals at her.

Kangana’s Account of the ‘Chappal’ Incident
Later, Kangana spoke about the 'chappal' incident in an interview with Republic TV. She revealed that Mahesh Bhatt threw a chappal at her and shouted at her during the screening of her film Woh Lamhe. This happened after she refused to do his film Dhoka, as she felt it glorified the heroism of a suicide bomber.
In her interview with Arnab Goswami, the actress said, “Even at 18, I had enough sense to say no. I told them, ‘If someone is tortured, they can join the army or police—why become a suicide bomber?’ So I refused the film. Mahesh Bhatt got so angry, he almost came at me like he was going to hit me. His daughter stopped him and said, ‘Papa, don’t.’ I somehow got away. He followed me to the theatre’s main gate and chased me out, yelling. I still tried to sneak back in to watch my film, but he threw a chappal at me. Two people had to take him inside.”

Kangana Ranaut further questioned, “Why can’t I say no if I want to? These people are still stuck in the mafia mindset, where saying ‘no’ to a ‘bhai’ means you could be shot dead. That kind of fear and control needs to end in the film industry.”
Mahesh Bhatt Responds with Restraint
Reacting to the ‘chappal throwing’ controversy, Mahesh Bhatt told reporters, “Kangana is a ‘bachchi’ who began her journey with us. Just because her relative (sister Rangoli) is attacking me, I won’t respond. My upbringing and values don’t allow me to speak against our children. It’s not in my nature. Till my last breath, I won’t say anything against her.”