Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt thrives on controversy. This time, he has chosen to cross swords with the media in his latest film, "Showbiz", produced by his brother Mukesh Bhatt.

What prompted him to pick a bone with the media? Bhatt senior said that it was high time that the media was shown the "mirror" to have a fresh look at its ugly mug.

"This will help it to climb down from the moral high ground on which it conveniently and pompously perches itself," Bhatt told.

Is "Showbiz" an indictment on the media in general? "Not at all. My intention is not an indictment on the media in general. All I am trying to do is to remove the veil of righteousness that a section of the media wears only in order to hide all its secret wrongdoings," Bhatt claimed.

For instance, Bhatt will seek to highlight how the media is unabashed when it willingly sells itself to the powers-that-be.

"Let's face it, the media is not the holy cow that it poses itself to be. It is as corrupt as most of us are," said the director with characteristic candour.

Elaborating, the maker of some good films like "Arth", "Janam", "Zakhm" and others, said that in the glamour world of films, the media works overtime to create idols out of ordinary actors.

Then, when the time is ripe, it ungraciously and brutally sacrifices these very idols it created at the altar of undefined moralities. The ostensible reason being: it suits them both ways to maintain their position in the market.

Bhatt added that the morality straitjacket a section of the media adorns is just a 'naqab' (veil). He observed that it was nothing but "double standards" when the media denies that it has sold itself to market forces.

"Showbiz", which releases next Friday, stars newcomers Tushar Jalota, (nephew of singer Anup Jalota) and Mrinalini Sharma, her second movie after "Apnapan" that released recently.

In the movie, Tushar portrays a successful actor who is on his way to becoming a superstar. He is a media darling. Until the latter stumbles upon a fond secret that the star has been hiding.

The film, directed by well known choreographer Raju Khan, deals with the superstar's fight against the media, how they both struggle to survive and keep their credibility intact.