Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt's kissing photo controversy didn't rattle us, says son Rahul: ‘We know the truth'

Indian Express

23-04-2025

Director Mahesh Bhatt and his daughter, actor Pooja Bhatt, once appeared in a film magazine where they were photographed kissing each other. As expected, this launched many controversies and over three decades later, members of the Bhatt family are still answering questions about that photograph. Recently, Mahesh's son Rahul Bhatt was asked about the same picture and he recalled he was 14 when this picture came out.
Talking to Hindi Rush, Rahul shared, 'Kuch faraq nahi padhta hai. It's like water off a duck's back. Humko maloom hai sach kya hai… humne bachpan se dekha hai yaar' (It doesn't make any difference. It's like water off a duck's back. We know the truth… we've seen it since childhood.)'
He said that those who grow up in a film family are 'immune' to such controversies. 'Film parivar ke bache ya toh bohot messed up hota hai ya bohot mazboot. Logon ko lagta hai humein farq padhta hai, magar nahi (Kids from film families are either really messed up or really strong. People think we care, but we don't),' he said.
Pooja Bhatt herself has previously spoken about the much-debated photograph. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, she described the moment as 'absolutely innocent,' adding that she couldn't dictate how people choose to interpret it. 'Agar log baap aur beti ke rishte ko alag najariye se dekh sakte hai toh vo kuch bhi kar sakte hai. Fir hum baat karte hai family values ki. Bahut kamal ka joke hai (If people can look at a father-daughter relationship from a twisted lens, they're capable of anything. Then we talk about family values. What an incredible joke that is),' she said.
Mahesh and Pooja worked in many films in the 1990s. She was seen in his directorials like Daddy, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, Sadak, Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee, Sir, Zakhm among others.