Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has always been candid about his personal life, frequently drawing inspiration from his own experiences to create his films such as Arth, Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi, and Zakhm.
In a recent appearance on his eldest daughter, actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt's audio podcast, the director-producer read out an excerpt from his memoir recounting a traumatic experience from his childhood.
Mahesh Bhatt recalled being attacked on the street by a group of older boys who mocked Mahesh Bhatt, a child of an interfaith relationship, whose parents were filmmaker Nanabhai Bhatt and Shirin Mohammad Ali.
"There was no electric lighting so the gas lamps lit the streets of Bombay at night. As dust descended, I walked down the road towards home, watching earthworms riggle out from the crevices of the footpath..." he read.
"Suddenly, four elderly boys waylaid me. They grabbed me violently and pushed me against the wall. I panicked, and from the depths of my heart rose a cry asking the gods to rescue me. But the gods were indifferent; they remained silent. It took me years to understand that liberators do not exist; one has to liberate oneself. 'Let me go home', I begged, trying to break out of the menacing circle these brutes had formed around me."
Mahesh Bhatt recalled hoping against hope that some passerby would intervene and rescue him from those "bullies".
"But ordinary life went by, unconcerned. 'Pull down his pants', said one of them. Even before one of them could lurch forward and go for my trousers, I began to plead and push the boys' hands back and screamed, 'Why are you doing this to me?'
"They said, 'We want to see if you are one of us. Isn't your mother your father's mistress?! She is a Muslim who**, and she used to dance in cheap movies. So, why is your name Mahesh?' I was overwhelmed.with profound grief, I began crying bitterly," the now 77-year-old filmmaker read out the excerpt on The Pooja Bhatt Show.
When he threatened to report the incident to his father, the group laughed, "Your father? Tell us, where is he now? Where does he stay? In your house? Tell us the truth and we will let you go".
Mahesh Bhatt said he stammered and said his father lives with them.
"'He has gone for outdoor shooting'. But my words lacked conviction."
But then something "snapped", recounted the filmmaker.
"Looking them in the eye, I audaciously said, 'My father does not live with us. He lives with his wife and my other mother in Andheri'. Strangely, the air changed, and the bearded boy eased his grip on me and signalled me to go," he added.
Mahesh Bhatt's 1998 film Zakhm was based on the life of his mother Shirin Mohammad Ali. His daughter Pooja Bhatt played the character of the mother in the film, headlined by Ajay Devgn.
Zakhm earned two National Film Awards - the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration and the National Film Award for Best Actor for Ajay Devgn, his first National Film Award.
Also Read | Mahesh Bhatt Says Pooja Bhatt Didn't Judge Him For His Affair With Soni Razdan: "I Can't Thank You Enough"
