It sure seems like Mahesh Bhatt has a private war going only with the Hindu pantheon. For a man who is so likeably pleasant and approachable, he can be pretty stubborn too. Those who know this strong-willed, immensely creative filmmaker are aware of the distance he keeps from temples and rituals. When his own daughter Pooja Bhatt got married in a temple in Goa, he refused to step in and be a part of the ceremony.

The son of a Muslim mother who was kept away from the main Bhatt family, Mahesh waged a war with “God” in his childhood when he would go into his Hindu father’s house, an utterly humiliating experience for the sensitive, forever-questioning child. He had vowed then that only success would give him respect and a place in society; success would be his only God.

In all Bhatt productions thus far, the Hindu pantheon is never a big deal. It can be grotesque like it is in Murder 2 but not benign and godly. Mahesh’s fight is not with other religions. In Jannat he was quite comfortable showing namaaz being offered and an Islamic lifestyle. In his latest, Murder 2, set in Goa, it is Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, a saintly sister and a calm, tranquil church. And it works well. In Murder 2, hero Emraan Hashmi has a war going with his God ever since he is orphaned. Hindi films have time and again encashed stories of an atheistical hero’s battle with God where the gods invariably win at the end, in classic Deewaar style. In Murder 2, the weather-beaten hero finally does away with the devilish villain and steps into church, a changed, chastened man. It’s a formula that works brilliantly and it does in Murder 2 as well.

Its director, Mohit Suri is, by the way, also a part of the large Bhatt family. His mother was Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt’s sister. Mohit was barely eight years old, his sister Smiley Suri (who acted in Kalyug and Crook) even younger, when his mother passed away and it was the Bhatt mamas (uncles) who brought up the two children, nurtured them and took them under their wing professionally too. So Murder 2 has two Bhatt nephews in it — Emraan Hashmi who is from Bhatt’s Muslim mother’s side and Mohit who is from the Hindu side. The Bhatt set-up is really a study in communal harmony and they practise it noiselessly, effortlessly.

It has been a poignant time for all of them as just a couple of weeks before the release of Murder 2, Mohit Suri’s father passed away and Vishesh Films (their filmmaking banner) was shut for a day. At a prayer ceremony a few days later, Mukesh Bhatt (he is religiously inclined unlike Mahesh), Emraan Hashmi and all the extended family members were by Mohit and Smiley’s side. Characteristically, Mahesh Bhatt stayed out of it.

It was also poignant because, after a dry spell, the Bhatts have finally got a thumping response to their film. “It’s a cheque that was long overdue,” laughed Mukesh Bhatt delightedly. “I won’t be exaggerating if I say that this will be a bigger success than Ready because of the cost factor. Films like Ready come with the burden of being expensive. We don’t make big films, we only make big ideas,” he exulted, before explaining, “Murder 2 with all its costs, including print and publicity is only a Rs 15-crore film. And everybody will earn four to five times that amount. Ratio-wise, films like Ready can’t give this kind of returns on investment.”

Most people call the better-known Mahesh Bhatt a “dial a quote guy”. But the financially sharp Mukesh is equally quote-worthy. With Murder 2, the Bhatts have given a huge boost to an unknown actor like Prashant Narayanan who walks away with a brilliant performance as a psychotic eunuch and serial killer. “We’re not only in the business of making films, we’re also in the business of making destinies,” said Mukesh cheerfully. He knows that they have made a star out of Prashant.

Last week, two diametrically different films, Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap and Delhi Belly clashed with the latter racing far ahead of the Amitabh starrer. This, despite DB carrying an ‘A’ certificate and BHTB being essentially a family entertainer. Unfortunately, Amitabh looked a poor loser when he made insinuations against Aamir and his film in his blog. (He will, of course, characteristically deny it a little later and blame the media for trying to create a controversy.) Fortunately, better sense prevailed with the younger actor who refused to get drawn into a war of words with AB and defused the potential battle with tact and diplomacy.

This week it’s again an ‘A’ film (Murder 2) vs a children’s film, Chillar Party. With both films having their merits, hopefully there will be no blog battle this time around.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is editor, The Film Street Journal