Mahesh Bhatt’s son recalls being ridiculed for parents’ separation, says father was only ‘financially available’ during his childhood: ‘Film folks are hypocritical’ | Bollywood News

Despite belonging to the affluent Bhatt family, Rahul Bhatt did not choose cinema as a career. The son of renowned filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and his first wife Kiran Bhatt, Rahul recently spoke about the emotional toll his parents’ separation had on him. He also opened up about his struggles growing up in a film family. Mentioning that he was a loner growing up, Rahul also emphasised his disdain for industry insiders.
“The scars are still very much there, although they have gotten lighter over the years. There was a lot of anger within me growing up, particularly because people kept making fun of me and my mother. Other kids used to ridicule me saying that my father left my mother. Children can be very brutal,” a visibly emotional Rahul said with a lump in his throat during a chat with Hindi Rush. “I was always lonely. People didn’t want to associate with me. So, I was and continue to be a loner. But that anger never actually left. It has subsided, yes, but not entirely gone,” he added.

Mentioning that not having proper parental support and guidance from school left his scars unhealed, Rahul said that his love for fitness saved his life from derailment. Stating that film families are often dysfunctional because the members are always busy, Rahul said, “I don’t like film people; they are hypocritical. One of the reasons why I never pursued a career in cinema was that I could never compromise on my morals. I am my own man; I have integrity. You keep seeing things that infuriate you and give you déjà vu. I had the opportunity to have food with the king’s son, but I chose to sit with the tailor’s son instead.”
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Stating that though his father was available to him even after the separation, Rahul maintained that they could, however, not build a strong rapport. “He was financially available, but emotionally, we are different people. Even while growing up, we did not have that kind of a connection, and I had to deal with a lot of things myself. I had to be my own doctor, lawyer and therap. Nobody came to my aid,” he said.

When asked if he agreed with the parenting style in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal (2023), featuring his stepser Alia Bhatt’s husband, Ranbir Kapoor, Rahul maintained that it was just a film and nothing more than that. “Were there any police officers in Animal? Had there been a cop like me, I would have shown them. Don’t take film people seriously; they pretend to be someone else on screen. They say one thing and do something else.”
He also maintained that being born into a film family is not a blessing in disguise. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. It either f**ks you up very badly or it makes you too strong. There is no in-between. Otherwise, you have to be completely ostracised and disconnected from life. If not, you end up being a part of all this, including the drugs and whatnot. It’s a fake business,” he added.
Mahesh Bhatt is father to Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt with his first wife Kiran. He later married actor Soni Razdan and their daughters are Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt.