Pooja Bhatt will keep her commitment to Ponty Chadha

Pooja Bhatt’s two ambitious projects Jism 3 and Cabaret are going to remain with the entertainment branch Waves of Ponty Chadha’s business empire. She is in fact going ahead with the completion of the two scripts before casting. Days after the shocking gunning-down tycoon entrepreneur, a sense of uncertainty remains over the film project involving Chadha, though one of Ponty’s closest associates in the film Pooja Bhatt has decided to keep her commitment to the slain tycoon. Pooja leaves the ball in Chadha’s business empire’s court, “I will wait for Ponty’s movie flagship Waves to decide the way forward with my two projects Jism 3 and Cabaret which I was to do with Ponty. I will continue with the creative work on both the projects with even more fervour. If Waves decides to go ahead with our projects, we’d be happy to stick to our commitment. I shall give them two films to be proud of. And if they decide not to go ahead with our projects I shall respect that decision. But the call is theirs. I shall respect their decision. For, during his lifetime Ponty Chadha gave me much respect in our dealings.” Pooja Bhatt who worked closely with Ponty Chadha says the loss is devastating. “His death affects the entire film industry in the most devastating way. He belonged to that rare breed of entrepreneurs who believe in the power of cinema. He backed me on both Cabaret and Jism 3 from the day he saw the first copy of Jism 2 with us Bhatts. And he did so without knowing who the stars were or even a glimpse into the script. That kind of trust is rare in movie-land.” At the moment Pooja grieves not for the uncertainty of her projects but a valuable creative ally, “My first hit as a director Jism 2 is linked to that gentleman’s faith in me. How can I ever forget that? ” However another filmmaker who worked closely with Ponty for many years is not too sure whether the billionaire’s business empire would want to carry forward its close links with the Bollywood. “His death is going to have deep repercussions on the movie business. Ponty was the only all-India distributor for Hindi films. He has been associated with the film industry since Ajay Devgn’s Raju Chacha and Ram Gopal Varma’s Jungle. Neither of Ponty’s two brothers was interested in the movie trade. I don’t think his son is interested either. Ponty was a passionate movie buff. He loved films and he wasn’t besotted by glamorous stars. He just loved the movies. I don’t think Pooja Bhatt or anyone else would get the same kind of commitment from the rest of Ponty’s family.” Not desirous of being named this prolific filmmaker also expressed amazement at Ponty’s death in the macabre shooting incident with his brother. “Ponty’s hands were serious damaged. He lost them during his childhood. While flying a kite he got electrocuted. How could a man who could barely hold a coffee cup be involved in such a lethal shooting incident?”