Filmmaker, actress Pooja Bhatt has opened up about her battle with alcoholism. In a recent interview, she recalled her journey when she decided to quit drinking. She said that she wanted people to know that it was something that could ‘happen to anyone. Pooja emphasized that women need to be ‘more open about that. It’s been four years since Pooja Bhatt has quit drinking alcohol.
In a recent interview, Pooja Bhatt said that while she began her career with the film Daddy, which was about a young woman whose father was an alcoholic, she herself dealt with the same issue years later. The filmmaker said, “We try to cover up many things. But four years ago when I decided to quit drinking, I decided to be open about it. I began my career with a film like Daddy, which was about a young girl getting her father who’s an alcoholic to stop drinking. And there I was dealing with the same problem.
She added, “I reached out to people to let them know that it’s something that could happen to anyone. Women especially need to be a bit more open about that. And I was overwhelmed by the response that I got from random strangers.”
In Daddy, a girl decides to save her father from being consumed by alcoholism. Pooja played the lead role of the girl, while the role of her father was played by actor Anupam Kher. The film was helmed by her dad, Mahesh Bhatt.
Pooja also talked about the kind of films that she and her father made. She said, “All of my work which has sustained and all of my father’s work which has sustained, have been stories which have been dug out from his heart. Commercial success is important but think about those songs that are on the charts for six weeks and then you can’t remember that tune after five years. You play the songs of Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, Aashiqui, and Kalank today and it still touches people’s cores. If I impress you, you won’t remember that very well but if I move you, you’ll carry that memory for life.”
Meanwhile, on July 12, Pooja celebrated 30 years of her film Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin also starring Aamir Khan. Sharing a series of stills from the film, she thanked her fans and wrote, “#30yrs of #dilhaikemantanahin today. The images have faded with time. The feeling the film still evokes stands the test of time. Gratitude to #GulshanKumar for backing my father’s vision & bankrolling a film that most Industry experts considered very risky considering it was about a woman who runs away from home to marry a man and then runs away from the ‘mandap’ to marry another man, that too with her father’s blessings .”
“#DHKMN is more than a film. It is a feeling. It is nostalgia. It is innocence. It is love & longing, for a time we have all lived, dreamed in, and lost. This is why it belongs more to the people and audiences who proved yet again that they are far more forward & expansive than the film industry experts by accepting it with all their heart & ensuring it sustains 30 yrs later. The audience is wise. The audience is gracious. The audience is kind. So thank you, all of you. For tying your adolescence, youth, love & memories to this film. I bow to you, and I love you. Each of you,” she concluded the post.
For the unversed, Pooja Bhatt has worked in films like Junoon, Sadak, Jaanam, Guneghar, Angrakshak, Hum Dono, Chaahat, Border, and Zakhm, among others.
Earlier this year, she made her digital debut with the web series Bombay Begums.
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