By Srijony Das Last Updated:
Pooja Bhatt rose to prominence by being hailed as the most gorgeous actresses of the 90s era of Hindi cinema. Daughter of eminent filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt, the diva has been a part of many iconic films, including Sadak, Junoon, Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahi, Zakhm and so many others. Over the years, despite facing stiff competition, Pooja has made it a point to stay relevant, and has been a part of quite a few OTT projects, shows and films. And recently, she opened up about dealing with the stigma of ageism in the film industry.
In an interaction with Pinkvilla, Pooja Bhatt opened up about keeping up her relevance as a bonafide actress in the Hindi film industry. At the prime phase of her 50s, Pooja has undertaken every step to accept her age, and understand that relevance is temporary. She revealed how most people of her age fight a lot to reverse the natural process of ageism, but she, on the other hand, has been exceedingly humble about her age. In her words:
“So, when you’re 52, you need to be acutely aware that there are a whole lot of people out there who have grown up with my poster on the ceiling. If you’re above the age of 40, you have definitely had my poster up on your wall or you have held the hand of your loved one while watching Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin. So, I think that it takes humility and great astuteness to be able to put yourself in that position. Most of the people my age would be worried about how they would come off because reverse ageism or ageism you face no matter how old you are.”
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Previously, in an interaction with Bollywood Bubble, Pooja Bhatt talked about receiving frequent criticism about her failed marriage. For the unversed, the diva was previously married to Manish Makhija. However, the duo parted ways a few years later, due to reasons best known to them. Coming back to her interaction, Pooja people have always been curious about her personal life, be it why she remains single or why she got married in the first place. She stated:
“People still ask me why are you not married. Why are you single? I said did I ask you why you’re still married? Don’t ask me why I’m still single. It’s as simple as that. When I got married, people had problems, when I ended my marriage, people still had problems and now that I’m single, people still have problems. This will always be there. The world will always have a problem and that’s okay.”
Earlier, in an interaction for a book launch, Pooja Bhatt retrospected about her feelings on her failed marriage. She recalled finding herself at the receiving end of a crumbling marriage, and it was nothing more than a boring relationship. Therefore, she felt like loosing out on her femininity, and even felt forgetting her identity. Pooja further added that her ex-husband was a good man, but she still felt a sense of loneliness in her heart.
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In the same interaction, Pooja Bhatt revealed that after her broken marriage, she then experienced feeling trapped in the chains of alcoholism. She remarked that bottles of alcohol acted as a band-aid for her broken heart. Moreover, she forgot the difference between a bad relationship and alcohol. Expressing more, she said:
“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.”
What do you think about Pooja Bhatt’s revelations? Let us know.
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