Rahul Bhatt, son of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and his first wife Kiran Bhatt, has spoken about his relationship with his father and half-sisters Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt. In a conversation with interviewer Siddharth Kannan, Rahul reflected on his childhood, his equation with Mahesh Bhatt and the nature of his bond with Alia.
Rahul Bhatt On His Relationship With Mahesh Bhatt
Speaking about his childhood, Rahul said he experienced emotional distance from his father, particularly after his parents separated in the late 1970s. Mahesh Bhatt later married Soni Razdan on April 20, 1986, after converting to Islam.
Describing his relationship with his father, Rahul said, “I had to be my own father. My father was there, but he was not there. He has been a little indifferent to me for reasons he knows best. I love my father, I respect him, but I am not my father. It’s a fractured relationship.”
Rahul said the circumstances made him take on responsibilities at an early age and led him to see himself as the “head of the household.”
He also spoke about his relationship with his half-sisters, Alia and Shaheen Bhatt. Describing their equation as warm but largely formal, he said, “They call me, but it is all a formality.”
Mahesh Bhatt had previously spoken about the emotional impact of their separation. In a 2018 interaction, the filmmaker acknowledged that Rahul had felt abandoned after he left the family when his son was around three years old.
Mahesh Bhatt’s Support For His First Wife
Despite describing his personal relationship with his father as fractured, Rahul highlighted Mahesh Bhatt’s continued financial support for his first wife, Kiran Bhatt.
Kiran Bhatt, formerly known as Lorraine Bright, married Mahesh Bhatt in 1970. The couple has two children, Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt.
Rahul said that Mahesh has continued to support Kiran and their household financially even after their separation and his subsequent marriage to Soni Razdan.
“He is a great guy. I respect him. He takes care of my mother. I respect that also. Whenever there is a financial crisis, he is there. I can lead a luxurious life in that sense. I am not the breadwinner. My father pays for household expenses,” Rahul said during the interview.
Pooja Bhatt has also spoken about their father’s continued support for their mother, saying in a separate podcast that he still takes care of her.
Mahesh And Kiran Bhatt’s Long-Standing Connection
Rahul’s comments also shed light on the long-standing relationship between Mahesh and Kiran. Mahesh met Lorraine Bright when he was 16 and she was 14, when she was living in an orphanage. He later took responsibility for her after she was expelled from school following their relationship.
The recent conversation offers a glimpse into the different relationships within the Bhatt family. While Rahul described his bond with Mahesh as fractured and his equation with Alia and Shaheen as largely formal, he also acknowledged his father’s continued financial support for his first wife and their household.