Actor-turned-director Pooja Bhatt, who's currently having a face-off with Muzamil Ibrahim starring in her upcoming film 'Dhokha', says he is a chauvinist who can't take a woman giving him instructions.

"Muzamil is a chauvinist and he can't cope with the fact that he is being directed by a woman," Pooja told.

"It is not my nature to be personal. Fundamentally he is not a bad person... the problem is the background from which he comes. He has studied in a boys' school and hasn't come out of the shell as yet.

"We have worked with so many newcomers... Muzamil is the only unpleasant experience we have had," she maintained.

'Dhokha' deals with the issue of terrorism and its incalculable spiritual costs. And model-turned-actor Muzamil plays the role of Zaid Ahmed, a bright, young Muslim police officer.

Muzamil had earlier stated in leading newspapers that 'Pooja Bhatt does not exist for me', even though it was she who had given him an entry into Bollywood as a hero.

Pooja, who has churned out films like 'Paap' and 'Holiday', pointed out that it took a lot of blood and sweat to work with budding actors.

"Working with newcomers is like teaching a child how to walk. You can imagine, we shot 'Dhokha' in 38 days while we did 40 days of rehearsals before shooting."