Mumbai, Nov. 26: Three unidentified men brandishing knives tried to barge into the home of Mahesh Bhatt’s son at Bandra this morning. The incident comes five months after a gunman tried to break into the filmmaker’s office in an alleged attempt to shoot him.

Rahul, Bhatt’s son who was at home with his wife, rushed to the police station just after the break-in. Police said the intruders asked for the director but were told by guards at the gate of the building that he wasn’t there.

Refusing to believe this, they roughed up the guards who tried to come in their way. The guards are being quizzed at the police station so that sketches of the trio can be made.

An official investigating the case said the “incident seemed to be a handiwork of local goons”, not that of the underworld.

Bhatt, now in Singapore, said he was clueless on the possible reasons. He denied an underworld hand, and also said he hadn’t received extortion calls. Daughter Pooja is in Goa for the International Film Festival of India.

On June 14, 2006, Bhatt’s office in Andheri witnessed a shooting when a gunman tried to force his way in.

The filmmaker was not present when the incident took place. Gangster Ravi Pujari later claimed that he had sent the man to kill Bhatt for “supporting the causes of minorities”.