- Vikram Bhatt and his wife were arrested in a multi-crore cheating case in December last year
- Bhatt was jailed in Udaipur before receiving regular bail from the Supreme Court in February
- He suffered a severe fever in jail but hospital treatment was delayed for about fifteen days
Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt were arrested by Rajasthan Police from Mumbai in December last year in an alleged multi-crore cheating case linked to a proposed biopic on the late wife of Indira IVF founder Ajay Murdia. Vikram was lodged in Udaipur Central Jail before being granted regular bail by the Supreme Court in February.
On Tuesday, the director-producer shared a long post on Facebook and a concise post on Instagram, recalling his terrible health scare inside the jail. Vikram said he felt like he would die in jail as he burned with a terrible fever.
Bhatt's Facebook Post
Vikram wrote, "It must have been three or four weeks since my incarceration in Udaipur Jail. It was the middle of January, and the cold was biting in a way only those who have spent a winter night in prison can truly understand. I remember one particular night in Barrack Number 10. There are no clocks in prison, so I do not know what time it was. But I remember waking up suddenly, shivering uncontrollably. My body felt as though it was on fire. It was obvious that I had a fever, though there was no way to measure it."
"Even with two blankets wrapped tightly around me, I was shaking as if I had no clothes on at all. The men who slept on either side of me woke up when they saw me trembling. Without saying much, they found two more blankets from somewhere and laid them over me. Even under four blankets, my body kept shaking. I swallowed a paracetamol tablet and hoped it was something that would pass," he added.
The director continued, "The doctor finally wrote a note allowing me to be taken to a hospital. But no one came. First, the police were busy protecting a VIP. Then they were busy managing a tribal fair. Day after day, I waited in the barrack. My days were filled with pain. My nights with fever. After a point, I realised I wasn't going anywhere."
"So I did the only thing I could. I stopped eating oil and salt, drank as much water as I could, and sat before a large painting of the Devi in the barrack. And I prayed. I said, 'If you exist... if my prayers to you have ever meant anything... show me a miracle. I don't want to die here. My children need me. My wife needs me. My 90-year-old father needs me.' Every day I prayed. And slowly... something changed," he wrote.
When his lawyer came to meet him, Vikram told him he would die in jail. Slowly, he started recovering as the fever's intensity reduced.
"One morning, I looked at the Devi and simply said, 'Thank you for giving me my life.' Fifteen days later, a few policemen finally arrived to take me to the hospital. I laughed. 'Gentlemen,' I said, 'you are about fifteen days too late. You are probably looking at my ghost.' Later, I asked an officer what they would have done if it had been an emergency. He said casually, 'Oh, then we would have sent you with the prison guards.' So they could have sent me all along. Maybe they chose not to. Or maybe God wanted me to learn something first," wrote Bhatt.
Why Vikram Bhatt Was Arrested
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Murdia, alleging that the Bhatts induced him to invest over Rs 30 crore in a biopic of his late wife, promising high returns that did not materialise.
Murdia's counsel told the court that the cheating amount stands at Rs 44 crore.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the Bhatts, argued that as per the agreement, four films were to be made, of which two have already been completed and the third is about 70 per cent complete. He submitted that Bhatt would not be able to finish the project if he remained in custody and that funds were being raised to complete the films. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Ajay Murdia, did not object to the grant of bail to facilitate mediation.
Vikram Bhatt is known for directing films like Ghulam, Kasoor, Footpath, and Shaapit, to name a few.
Also Read | Supreme Court Grants Bail To Vikram Bhatt And Wife In Rs 44 Crore Cheating Case