Known for speaking his mind on cinema, the film industry, and his personal life, Mahesh Bhatt recently shared a traumatic incident from his childhood during an appearance on The Pooja Bhatt Show, hosted by his daughter Pooja Bhatt. The filmmaker revealed how four young men assaulted him while verbally attacking his mother, leaving a lasting scar on his psyche.Mahesh, the son of filmmaker Nanabhai Bhatt and Shirin Mohammad Ali, recalled walking home one evening when the incident occurred. “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 said. “It took me years to understand that liberators do not exist; one has to liberate oneself.”
‘Pull down his pants’
The situation escalated quickly, Mahesh recounted. “‘Let me go home,’ I begged, trying to break out of the menacing circle these brutes had formed around me. I was hoping against hope that some passerby would intervene and rescue me from these bullies. But ordinary life floated by, unconcerned about my anguish.“‘Pull down his pants,’ said one of them. Even before the boy could lurch forward, I began to plead and push his hands back. I screamed, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’” The men then hurled abuses about his mother’s background and questioned his identity. “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?’” Overwhelmed by grief, Mahesh said he cried bitterly.When he warned them about reporting the assault to his father, the men laughed. “Tell us, where is he now? In your house? Tell us the truth and we will let you go,” they said. This question dug into the festering wound his family had been concealing for years. Summoning courage, Mahesh told them the truth about his father living elsewhere, which finally led them to release him.“I stammered and weakly said, ‘I swear he lives with us. He has gone for outdoor shooting.’ But my words lacked conviction. And then something snapped in me. Looking them in the eye, I audaciously said, ‘My father does not live with us. He lives with his wife and my other mother in Andheri.’ Strangely, the air changed, and the bearded boy eased his grip over me and signalled me to go,” he recalled.
A scar that changed family dynamics
Though the incident ended without physical harm, Mahesh said it left a permanent emotional scar. He revealed that his mother and siblings felt betrayed by his openness about the family secret, leading to strained relations. “She emotionally locked me out of her life,” he said. Mahesh Bhatt, like his father, has had multiple partners over the years. He was married to Lorraine Bright, had a relationship with Parveen Babi, and later married Soni Razdan, with whom he has two children, including National Award-winning actor Alia Bhatt. Pooja Bhatt is his daughter from his marriage to Lorraine. Go to Source
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