Mundhra wanted to opt out of `Chase` over creative differences

New Delhi: Director Jagmohan Mundhra wanted to opt out of the upcoming film `Chase` after a fall-out with producer-actor Anuuj Saxena over editing.

The director, who has made critically acclaimed films like `Bawander`, `Provoked` and `Shoot on Sight` told Saxena to remove his name from the credits as a director. "Yes, we did have our creative differences which reached the editing room as well. He incorporated some scenes which was not his job. His job was only to give me feedback and as it was clearly written in my contract, it was me who was accountable for the final edit. He still did his own thing in my absence," Mundhra said. "Rather than giving any reason around his approach or even talking to me, he just had someone from office call and tell me that he was going ahead with his own edit." Starring Udita Goswami, newcomer Tarina and Saxena of TV serial `Kumkum`, the film is about a man, who is punished for a crime he did not commit and his struggle to prove his innocence. Mundhra said the immediate next step for him was to disassociate himself from the film but Saxena did not want that too. "I asked him to remove my name from the credits. However, even that doesn`t seem to be acceptable to him. Ultimately he thinks that there is a brand value attached to my name so he may well keep my name on. However, I am definitely not happy about it." So what`s the next course of action from here on? "Well, This is his money so let him do whatever he wants to do with his film. We couldn`t reach any creative consensus and that`s the unfortunate part. The film was earlier supposed to be branded as `A film by Jagmohan Mundhra`. However, now thankfully it just says `Directed by Jagmohan Mundhra`. It is no more my film in entirety after all. I can just wish good luck to Anuuj and the film." Meanwhile, the director is looking forward to the release of `Apartment`, which marks his return to direction after a gap of one and a half year. His last film was Naseeruddin Shah starrer `Shoot On Sight`. `Apartment` is up for release this week and stars Tanushree Dutta and Neetu Chandra in the lead but Mundhra has denied that there is a sex element in the movie. "See, a sex element can be incorporated in a film only if it is required there. You can`t have it just for the sake of it. Due to two females sharing an apartment together, a few people out there feel that there would some kind of a sex scene there as well. However, the fact is that there isn`t any," said Mundhra. The director, who has made many erotic thrillers in the West, says the film is a psycho thriller. "That`s a wishful thinking by some people. `Apartment` is just about two girls who are living under one roof and how one of them (Neetu Chandra), who happens to be suffering from bipolar schizophrenia, becomes the villain of the piece and torments the other (Tanushree Dutta). Beyond that, let`s not read too much around the plotline," he said. PTI