Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, were arrested in December last year in connection with a cheating case. The couple was later granted bail in February this year. Now, the filmmaker has opened up about a frightening health scare he experienced during that period, revealing that he suffered from a “severe fever and uncontrollable shivering,” yet was not taken to a hospital.

Opening up about the health scare, 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 filmmaker shared that the fever worsened in the morning, writing, “We went to the prison hospital. The doctor had not arrived yet, and strangely there was no thermometer to measure my temperature. They checked my blood oxygen saturation instead and told me everything was fine. I remember looking at the attendant and saying, “You must be joking. I’m shaking with fever and you say I’m fine?” When the doctor arrived, I explained my condition to him.”

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.

He shared that his lawyer came to meet him in jail, and told him honestly that he felt he might die there. According to Vikram, the fever began to reduce, and the pain slowly eased.

“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.

Udaipur superintendent of police (SP) Yogesh Goyal said, “The arrest was made from Ganga Bhavan Apartments in Yari Road area, which is said to be the residence of Bhatt’s sister-in-law. The police will now apply for a transit remand in Bandra court to bring him to Udaipur for further investigation”.

The case was registered on November 17 based on a complaint filed by Dr. Ajay Mudiya, owner of Indira Group of Companies in Rajasthan. In his FIR, he accused Vikram Bhatt and eight others of cheating him of ₹30 crore. This year in February, the Supreme Court granted bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, in a cheating case where they’re accused of owing ₹30 crore.

Director Vignesh Shivan revealed that the Life Insurance Corporation of India demanded a staggering Rs 112 crore to use the title ‘LIC’ for his film ‘Love Insurance Kompany.’ Facing this exorbitant demand, the team opted for the creatively spelled title ‘LIK’ to avoid legal complications and proceed with the release.

Director Vignesh Shivan recently opened up about the title change of his latest film ‘Love Insurance Kompany,’ popularly known as ‘LIK.’ The film, starring Pradeep Ranganathan, Krithi Shetty, and S. J. Suryah, was released recently after facing several delays. When the project was first announced, the director planned to title the film ‘LIC,’ which stood for ‘Love Insurance Company.‘ However, the title soon created legal concerns because it matched the name of the well-known insurance organisation Life Insurance Corporation of India. To avoid legal complications, the team eventually decided to change the title before the film’s release.

Vignesh Shivan reveals an 112 crore demand for ‘LIC’ title

Speaking about the issue in a YouTube chat with Sudhir Srinivasan, Vignesh Shivan revealed that the insurance company demanded a huge amount if the film continued using the original title. He said, “We initially named the film ‘LIC’, which meant Love Insurance Company. But the LIC organisation asked for Rs 112 crore if we wanted to use the title. I don’t have Rs 112 crore, so that was not possible.” The director further explained that he had already kept several backup title options ready in case such a problem occurred. “I had backup titles like LIP, LIT, LIK and LIF. Finally, we chose LIK. The way we used the word ‘Kompany’ was liked by many people after watching the film,” he added. According to him, the team quickly decided to move forward with the new title to avoid any further legal trouble.

How ‘Love Insurance Kompany’ became ‘LIK’

Initially, the movie was promoted as ‘Love Insurance Company’ with the abbreviation LIC. However, once the notice came from Life Insurance Corporation of India, the makers decided to modify the title. The team finally selected ‘LIK’ while keeping the full form ‘Love Insurance Kompany.’ The creative spelling was also kept intentionally to give the film a unique identity. Director Vignesh Shivan said the word ‘Kompany’ was styled playfully, and the design element called ‘Kombu’ symbolised pride and attitude in the film’s theme. This change allowed the film to move forward without facing legal hurdles.

‘LIK’ box office response after release

The film ‘LIK’ finally reached theatres after a long wait on April 10 and received mixed reviews from audiences. Despite the varied reactions, the film has managed to attract attention at the box office. According to Sacnilk, the movie has collected around Rs 39 crore worldwide within its first four days. Fans of Pradeep Ranganathan and the rest of the cast have shown decent support for the film. While critical responses remain divided, the movie continues to generate discussion because of its unique title story and the interesting revelation shared by Vignesh Shivan about the Rs 112 crore demand.