# Mushtaq Khan paid grocer Re 1 to take Mahesh Bhatt calls 2026-08-27T00:42:30+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Actor Mushtaq Khan has revealed that he paid a grocer Re 1 per message to take calls from filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt because he did not own a telephone or landline in the 1980s. He first met Bhatt through screenwriter Salim Khan, who recommended him for a role in the 1986 film 'Naam'. On the Savita Aseem Podcast, Khan recalled that Bhatt acknowledged Salim Khan's recommendation but said he had no suitable role for him in 'Naam'. Bhatt directed Khan to his brothers, producer Mukesh Bhatt and writer Robin Bhatt, who assured him they would call when a role opened. For two weeks the grocer reported no calls. On the 15th day, the grocer told him Mahesh Bhatt had called. That call led to Khan's first Bhatt film, the 1988 action-crime drama 'Kabzaa', in which he played Tiwari. His performance impressed Bhatt, who gave him a larger role in the telefilm 'Swayam'. Khan went on to appear in several Bhatt films including 'Sadak' and 'Aashiqui'. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both Times of India and NDTV report the same anecdote in identical, neutral wire-copy style, neither adding analysis nor selecting a different lead. The shared framing treats Mushtaq Khan's struggle to get his break as a behind-the-scenes curiosity rather than a commentary on industry access barriers. Absent any editorial voice, the coverage functions purely as entertainment gossip, a reminder that Hindi cinema nostalgia sells clicks. The story's implications for aspiring actors without connections are implicitly sidestepped by both outlets. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Straight wire-style anecdote, no editorial framing or stance detectable - ndtv.com (neutral report) Identical anecdote, neutral wire copy with no slant This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Mahesh Bhatt, Mushtaq Khan, Salim Khan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mushtaq-khan-paid-grocer-re-1-to-take-mahesh-bhatt-calls/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mushtaq-khan-paid-grocer-re-1-to-take-mahesh-bhatt-calls/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/