Pooja Bhatt is one of the finest actresses of her generation in Bollywood. The diva has been a part of some incredible career, including Sadak, Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahi, Junoon, Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi, Border, Zakhm among so many others. Daughter of eminent filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja took a major sabbatical in her career post her marriage with Manish Makhija in 2003. While her marriage didn’t last long, and she also dipped deep down into alcoholism, she gave her career a second chance and made a comeback in 2020 with the sequel of her earlier film, Sadak 2.
At a recent launch event of the book, Unchain My Heart, Pooja Bhatt opened up about various unheard anecdotes of her life. The diva made a comparison with her half-sister, Alia Bhatt and credited how the latter knows what to share with others and not, whilst she does not. Demarcating the four seasons in the life of an artist like her, Pooja shared:
“My sister Alia is so successful because she knows what to share. What to put out there and what not to. But I have learnt that it’s only when you are authentic and when you are speaking from the heart does it get communicated. When I look back at my life, I am enjoying what they call the fourth season of fame. There are four seasons in an artiste’s life. First they say he/she has potential, then they say she has arrived, then they say she is over and then they say she is back. So, I came back with Bombay Begums.”
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In the same series of revelations, Pooja then opened up on her personal life, and revealed the kind of impact her divorce and broken marriage took on her as a person. The actress mentioned that at first, she found herself in a marriage gradually crumbling and it led her to realise that as a woman, she was in a boring relationship and losing out on her femininity. In her words:
“I found myself in a marriage that was crumbling. It wasn’t crumbling because of any painful situation, it was rather boring, neither of us cheated or were interested in it. As a woman, I realised that I lost myself in the process while ticking the box that the society has set for me. It took me sometime to realise that I am trapped in a marriage that wasn’t working for me. I lost my femininity. I forgot who I was. He was a perfectly wonderful man but there was a loneliness in my soul.”
In the concluding segment of the event, Pooja then delved into the past and spoke about another poignant battle in her life, which is alcoholism. In retrospect, the actress revealed that after her exit from a bottle-necked marriage, she then found herself choking within the vaults of an alcohol bottle. Revealing how she was able to kick-out the alcohol bottle from her life, she mentioned:
“I used alcohol as a band aid, I was trapped and I was chained. First into being a good wife and then getting my gratification with a bottle. I asked myself what is the difference between a bad relationship and a bottle. I was using both to numb the pain. So, I learnt to deal with myself, my anguish and my emptiness and from that something magical emerged. I kicked the bottle and it has been seven years since I have been sober.”
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In an earlier interview with Siddharth Kannan, Pooja Bhatt recalled her journey in Bollywood and revealed that she kickstarted her career at the age of 17 and by 19, she was hailed as a superstar. Incidentally, she added that by the time she was 24, many people already declared that her career was over.
What do you think about Pooja’s revelations?
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