Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is known for his unfiltered honesty when speaking about life, love, and pain. Recently, in a heartfelt conversation with his daughter and actress Pooja Bhatt, he opened up about one of the most traumatic memories from his childhood, an experience that, he says, shaped the man he became.
Mahesh Bhatt recalls traumatic incident
On his daughter’s show, Bhatt recalled being attacked by four young men on the streets of Mumbai during his youth. Calling it a life-changing moment, he shared, “Suddenly, four elderly boys waylaid me. They grabbed me violently and pushed me against the wall. I panicked, and from the depths of my heart rose a cry asking the Gods to rescue me. But the Gods were indifferent; they remained silent.”
He remembered pleading with the attackers to let him go, but they refused. “Pull down his pants,” one of them ordered.
Recalling the incident further, Bhatt said, “I screamed, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ They said, ‘We want to see if you are one of us. Isn’t your mother your father’s mistress? She is a Muslim who**, and she used to dance in cheap movies. So, why is your name Mahesh?’ I was overwhelmed. Overcome with grief, I began crying bitterly.”
When he threatened to complain to his father, they mocked him. “‘Tell us, where is he now? Where does he stay? In your house? Tell us the truth and we’ll let you go,’ they said.”
Terrified, Bhatt revealed the truth that had been kept hidden within his family. “My father doesn’t live with us. He lives with his wife and my other mother in Andheri.” After that, the attackers loosened their grip and let him go. “The air changed, and the bearded boy eased his hold on me and signalled me to leave,” Bhatt recalled.
The filmmaker said the incident left a deep emotional scar and forever altered his relationship with his mother, Shirin Mohammad Ali. “She emotionally locked me out of her life,” he said softly.
Bhatt on marrying Soni Razdan
Bhatt also got emotional as he spoke about another difficult chapter in his life — falling in love with actress Soni Razdan while still married to Kiran Bhatt. At the time, he was already a father to two children, Pooja and Rahul Bhatt. He admitted that while his decision deeply affected his wife and kids, it was his daughter’s kindness that eventually helped him heal.
