Oscar Winner Resul Pookutty: I'd Gone Through Breakdown As Nobody Gave Me Work in Hindi Films

A day after AR Rahman said that there was "a whole gang" stopping him from working in Bollywood, Oscar winner Resul Pookutty has come forward to share his own experience, saying he nearly had "a breakdown" after nobody showed interest in working with him in the Hindi film industry post his win at the Academy Awards.

In response to Shekhar's Kapur tweet, which directed at Rahman, Resul wrote, "Dear Shekhar Kapur, ask me about it, I had gone through near breakdown as nobody was giving me work in Hindi films and regional cinema held me tight after I won the Oscar... There were production houses told me at my face 'we don’t need you' but still I love my industry for it."

Resul, however, said that he didn't want to blame anyone "for not taking me in their films" as he believed he was facing the infamous "Oscar curse." The superstition goes that those who are awarded the Hollywood’s most prestigious award see a slide in their careers.

"@shekharkapur... and much later when I discussed this with my @TheAcademy members friends they told me about #OscarCurse! It’s faced by everybody! I enjoyed going through that phase when you are on top of the world & when you know people reject you, it’s the biggest reality check!"

"I’m also not liking the direction in which the whole nepotism discussion is going. So peace! I’m not blaming anybody for not taking me in their films," he clarified.

In his tweet, Shekhar Kapur said that Rahman often faced difficulties in the Hindi film industry because of his Oscar wins. Kapur made the remark after Rahman’s latest interview, where he said that there was a gang working against him in Bollywood, resulting in him getting fewer movies.

“I don’t say no to good movies, but I think there is a gang, which, due to misunderstandings, is spreading some false rumours. When Mukesh Chhabra came to me (for Dil Bechara), I gave him four songs in two days. He told me, ‘Sir, how many people said don’t go, don’t go to him (AR Rahman) and they told me stories after stories,'" Rahman said in his interview with Radio Mirchi.

Tweeting an excerpt from the interview, Shekhar Kapur, who collaborated with AR Rahman on his 2007 directorial Elizabeth: The Golden Age, wrote, “You know what your problem is @arrahman? You went and got #Oscars. An Oscar is the kiss of death in Bollywood. It proves you have more talent than Bollywood can handle...”

Meanwhile, a few days back Resul Pookutty announced his maiden production. A report in DNA suggests that the film is inspired by the current tensions between India and China at the border, and Resul is apparently keen on roping Alia Bhatt in for the project.