Pooja Bhatt opened up about late actor Parveen Babi, her relationship with Mahesh Bhatt, and the tragedy she witnessed in the star’s later years.
‘Parveen’s life was tragedy defined’
Recalling Parveen Babi’s emotional struggles and public scrutiny, Pooja told Vickey Lalwani, “Parveen’s life was something very tragic in the true sense. Whatever happened to her in the last few years, somebody may dismiss it off as a mess, but it is tragedy defined in the absolute sense.”She further added, “She was not well. I mean I am not a doctor so I can’t comment on the exact ailment, but she was not well.”Pooja remembered seeing Parveen during a difficult phase of her life and said, “When she came back after that time, I remember her sitting in the Stardust office, using their Xerox machine and giving a long interview about Amitabh Bachchan still wanting to kill her and not eating anything but eggs because she thought everything else was poisoned by the industry. So that is a mind that is paranoid and unravelling.”Calling out the reaction around the actor’s condition, Pooja added, “People were enjoying the circus at the Stardust office. They printed that article gazing at this person who was speaking from a place of pain. Of course, it’s tragic.”
‘She was a beautiful woman and very generous’
Pooja also shared a deeply personal memory of meeting Parveen as a child. “I remember my father taking me to her home. She was a beautiful woman and she was very generous to me,” she said. The actor recalled how Parveen gifted her a perfume bottle during that visit. “I will never forget the manner in which she gave me that perfume. That’s my memory of Parveen — this beautiful movie star whose impulse was to give something.”
Mahesh Bhatt stood by Parveen Babi till the end
Speaking about her father’s bond with Parveen, Pooja said, “There are few people who truly stand by you.”Parveen Babi passed away in January 2005. Her body reportedly remained unclaimed at Mumbai’s Cooper Hospital morgue for several days. Despite their complicated romantic history and her estranged ties with many family members, Mahesh Bhatt stepped forward to claim her body so she could be given a proper burial.She also reflected on Parveen’s iconic status in Hindi cinema. Mentioning Zeenat Aman alongside her, Pooja said they belonged to an era of “real men and women” in the film industry.Remembering Parveen’s immense popularity, she added, “She was the first Indian actor to grace the cover of Time magazine. There must have been something right in her to have that privilege.”
