‘Behind The Laughter, I Sensed Something Heavier’

Hansal
Mehta
paid
rich
tribute
to
his
friend
Mukul
Dev,
who
shockingly


passed
into
the
ages
on
May
23.
He
was
54.

‘As
the
weight
of
this
loss
settles
in,
I
realise
there’s
still
so
much
more
I
want
to
say
about
my
friend
Mukul,’
he
wrote
on
social
media.

‘I
will
miss
Mukul
deeply.
His
booming
laughter
at
our
inside
jokes,
his
unmatched
gift
for
storytelling,
that
unmistakable
voice…
He
acted
in
two
of
my
unreleased
films
and
a
TV
show
—
somehow
in
the
shadows
of
it
all,
we
became
very
close.
We
bonded
over
booze,
broken
hearts,
and
the
foolish
hope
that
things
would
one
day
make
sense.
For
years,
we
were
gym
buddies,
pushing
each
other
through
reps
and
regrets.

‘Mukul
was
devastatingly
handsome.
His
presence
could
light
up
a
stadium,
his
charm
could
hold
a
room
in
thrall.
He
had
what
most
people
only
dream
of:
A
dream
launch,
big
directors,
prominent
co-stars.
He
had
the
look,
the
talent,
the
pedigree.
But
his
career
became
a
collection
of
missed
opportunities
and
near
breakthroughs.
A
story
of
what
could’ve
been.
A
string
of
what
ifs’.

‘And
I
think
those
what
ifs
chipped
away
at
his
spirit.
Slowly,
quietly,
they
filled
him
with
a
sense
of
defeat
and
resignation
—
an
ache
that
often
found
its
only
solace
in
booze.
Behind
the
laughter
and
bravado
was
a
man
struggling
to
reconcile
with
the
dreams
that
eluded
him.

‘He
was
also
a
gifted
writer.
He
gave
me
the
story
of

Omertà
back
in
2003.
I
remember
the
joy
in
his
voice
when
the
film
was
finally
made,
the
pride
when
he
saw
it
with
festival
audiences,
and
that
infectious
excitement
when
his
name
came
up
in
the
writing
credits.
Every
time
we
spoke,
he’d
chuckle
and
say,
‘Hansie,

kya
film

banayi
yaar.
International.

Soch
bhi
nahi
sakta
tha
ki
aisi
film

mein
I’d
have
a
writing
credit.
This
is
so
good
for
me.’

‘That
credit
made
him
feel
seen.
Respected.
Validated.
I
just
wish
we
had
done
more
together.

‘The
last
time
we
spoke
was
a
few
months
ago.
The
same
gregarious
laugh,
the
same
fake
Feroz
Khan
accent
we
always
used
with
each
other.
But
behind
the
laughter,
I
sensed
something
heavier
—
a
quiet
sadness,
an
air
of
disappointment,
a
kind
of
loneliness
he
never
really
shared.

‘Go
well,
my
beautiful,
broken,
brilliant
friend. Phir
milenge.’

Mukul
Dev’s
brother
Rahul
Dev
thanked
all
those
who
mourned
the
death
of
his
brother,
and
posted,
‘Sincere
thanks
to
all
for
the
love
and
kind
wishes
showered
on
Mukul…
Grateful.’