Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul says their relationship is ‘fractured’: ‘He pays for our household’ - The Indian Express

Mahesh Bhatt was one of the most popular filmmakers of his generation and while he was busy getting his career off the ground, his son, Rahul, was witnessing another side of his personality. In a recent interview, Rahul opened up about his childhood and said that he felt neglected by his father for most of his childhood. Rahul is the son of Mahesh and his first wife, Kiran. Actor-producer Pooja Bhatt is his sister. He recalled how he started believing that he was the “head of the household” at a very young age as his father and mother Kiran had separated. Recalling his “self-destructive” years, Rahul said that he did not have any strong guidance from a male figure in his formative years.

In a chat with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, Rahul said that he would often indulge in violence to settle scores as he felt like he had to protect his sister Pooja, who was a massive star at the time. “I had a propensity for settling scores, for using violence because I felt that I was the head of the household and I had to take care of my family and my sister, who was a sex symbol then. So I had to be violent and I got used to using violence to settle scores as a kid,” he said.

Rahul said that when people made fun of Pooja, he would just hit them and it soon became a bad habit. “That almost became a habit but it was very self-destructive,” he said and recalled that because of this, he has seen the inside of many police stations. But, he was quick to clarify that he never went to police stations for drugs or any other “embarrassing” things. He recalled that when random people addressed Pooja using unsavoury slangs, his “response would be exaggerated.”

“I am lucky that nothing happened and nobody died. That was juvenile delinquency 101,” he said and added that he did not have any strong male figure to guide him at that age.

Recalling his relationship with his father, Rahul said, “I had to be my own father. My father was there but he was not there. He has been a little indifferent to me for reasons he knows best. I love my father, I respect him but I am not my father. It’s a fractured relationship.” Rahul added that he has always faced a “communication problem” with his father. When Rahul was growing up, Mahesh and Kiran had separated and soon after, Mahesh married Soni Razdan. He has two daughters from that marriage – Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt.

Talking about his relationship with his stepmother Soni, Rahul said that although she is “great” and “warm”, he feels that the relationship is just a “formality.” “They call me, but it is all a formality,” he said.

Rahul elaborated on his childhood experiences and described that time in his life as “f**ked up.” “My mother used to be unhappy. She used to be at home. There was a lot of negativity. Nobody was interested. There was no communication. It was dysfunctionality,” he said.

Rahul said that even though his relationship with Mahesh has always been fractured, Mahesh continues to take care of Kiran. “He is a great guy. I respect him. He takes care of my mother. I respect that also. Whenever there is a financial crisis, he is there. I can lead a luxurious life in that sense. I am not the breadwinner. My father pays for household expenses,” he said, but added that he earns a comfortable living for himself.

In the past, Mahesh had addressed his role in Rahul’s childhood and in an earlier chat with Hindustan Times, he said, “There was a wound there… I left home when he was around three and he felt I had abandoned the family for another woman. And this was a grievance I couldn’t deny because it was true.”