Pooja Bhatt opens up on Mahesh Bhatt converting to Islam to marry Soni Razdan: 'He’d never part ways with my mother'

Pooja Bhatt has often spoken candidly about her unconventional family dynamics and the bond she shares with every member of her blended family. As the eldest daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and Kiran Bhatt, Pooja grew up alongside brother Rahul Bhatt before Mahesh later married actor Soni Razdan, with whom he has daughters Shaheen Bhatt and Alia Bhatt.Pooja reflected on her father’s decision to leave his marriage with her mother once he realised the relationship had changed. She explained that she respects his honesty rather than living a double life for appearances.“Would I rather have a father who acknowledges he’s human, that there’s been a shift in his affection, who moves out of the house to stand by the woman he’s met? Or would I prefer a father who stays under the same roof as my mother for society’s sake, has 200 affairs outside, but there’s an air of normalcy and conspiracy of silence maintained by everybody?” asked Pooja during a chat with Vickey Lalwani.Speaking about the phase when Mahesh Bhatt fell in love with late actor Parveen Babi during the late 1970s, Pooja said, “Because they are mard, so they can do it. That never happened at my home. They both thought the relationship was over.” She also recalled how her parents briefly tried to reconcile after “the tragedy played out with Parveen”, referring to the actor’s struggles with mental health, but eventually realised the marriage could not be revived.Pooja also opened up about a memorable conversation she once shared with Soni Razdan during the filming of Love Affair, a project inspired by the 1959 Nanavati murder case. Though the film was never completed, Pooja remembered Soni confessing under the stars in Ooty that she carried guilt over her relationship with Mahesh Bhatt.“So, I told her from my heart, ‘Soni, you couldn’t have broken up a relationship that was together. There’s no space for anybody in a relationship that’s solid. Something was lacking, so somebody else could come and find that space,'” recalled Pooja.Reflecting on how relationships evolve over time, she added, “When I look at my parents today, the nature of love has changed. But they’re one unit. When people ask me, ‘What about love?’, so I say if love can be like that, when two people can be there for each other morally through thick and thin… Even if the world is on one side, and you’re wrong but you can still stand by my side nonetheless.”Pooja also maintained that she does not believe there are “villains” in her family’s story. “She forgave him years ago otherwise they wouldn’t have reached where they are. Who’s the villain? Is Soni the villain? Is Parveen Babi the villain? Is Mahesh Bhatt the villain? Is Kiran the villain, or Lorraine Bright rather?” she said, referring to her mother’s maiden name, before adding, “Is life the villain? Or circumstances? Is being wretchedly human the villain?”Recalling the early days of Mahesh Bhatt’s relationship with Soni Razdan, Pooja shared that Soni was already a regular presence at their home while working on Saaransh in 1984. She revealed that her father eventually decided to openly acknowledge the relationship instead of hiding it.“When the relationship bloomed, my father decided to give it a name, and not keep it hidden. That’s when one night, he woke me up and told me he’s involved with Soni and he’d be setting up a new home with her, and that shouldn’t make me feel abandoned as a child because he’d never abandon me,” said Pooja.She also addressed Mahesh Bhatt’s decision to convert to Islam before marrying Soni in 1986, which allowed him to avoid divorcing Kiran Bhatt. “He’d never part ways with my mother. I know one thing about my father that once he holds your hands, whoever you are, he doesn’t let go. That’s applicable to the women in his life, people he’s worked with, and people whom he’s groomed and launched. He’s there. He’s reliable,” she said.At the same time, Pooja admitted that the separation deeply affected her mother. “Relationships don’t end well. I did see my mother’s pain that it’s happening again,” she confessed. However, she praised Kiran Bhatt for maintaining dignity throughout the situation and never allowing the children to be caught in the middle.“They’ve always maintained a decorum and grace with each other. They never pitted the children against each other. In fact, there have been times I’ve fought my mother and my father has taken her side. He’s told me, ‘Listen, please don’t ever think where my priorities lie’ (laughs). So, they’ve always been very solid when it came to me. My father moved out, but that’s truly a matter of geography,” she shared.Pooja also revealed that her relationship with Soni Razdan has grown much stronger over the years and that she shares a close bond with sisters Shaheen and Alia Bhatt, whom she considers her extended family.“When Shaheen was born, the first person my father called was my mother. And I’ll never forget the moment when my mother came to me and said, ‘Hey, you have a sister now.’ So, it just naturally became what’s become now,” Pooja concluded.