'Couldn’t have my newborn baby turn away..' Mahesh Bhatt talks about the moment that made him give up drinking

Pooja Bhatt, the daughter of legendary filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt made her acting debut at the age of 17 with her father’s 1989 movie ‘Daddy’. The film recently clocked 35 years and the father-daughter duo were seen reflecting on their experience when working on Pooja Bhatt’s acting debut.

The film which premiered on Doordarshan in 1989 reflects the story of a daughter who helps her father overcome alcoholism, something which is inspired from Bhatt’s real life. While Pooja Bhatt plays the role of the daughter, Anupam Kher essays the role of her father.

In a conversation with The Indian Express, Pooja Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt while speaking about ‘Daddy‘ recalled some unknown details about the same. Bhatt began by revealing that the film was born out of his personal experience, further recalling the days when he was addicted to alcoholism. The filmmaker also mentioned that it was after the birth of his daughter Shaheen Bhatt that he managed to give up alcohol.

“I couldn’t have my newborn baby turn away from me” 

“It was Shaheen who made me give up drinking. She was the first child with Soni (Soni Razdan). I remember my wife asked me to stop drinking, a few days before as the baby was coming. However, I would drink too much. After she came home with Shaheen, I drank the whole night. I must have been celebrating with my friends using the birth of my daughter as a reason. However, it was that moment when I carried her in my arms. This frail little child. I leaned to kiss her but she turned away from me. Now, she could not have turned away from me because she was so small but I felt she did and I was filled with revulsion. I felt I couldn’t have my newborn baby turn away from me. Life was telling me something through the child, he said further adding he decided to give up drinking and never touched a drop of alcohol after that.

Ironically, while the film somehow reflects the story of Mahesh Bhatt, it also marks the screen debut of Shaheen Bhatt, who plays the younger version of Pooja in the film.