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Mahesh Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt Revisit a Painful Father-Son Bond
Mahesh Bhatt and his son Rahul have had a difficult relationship.
Mahesh left Rahul’s mother, Kiran, when Rahul was about three years old.
Rahul mostly grew up with his mother and felt that his father was not around enough.
He said he wanted Mahesh to try harder to love him as a father.
Mahesh admitted that Rahul felt abandoned and said this complaint was fair.
Mahesh had also grown up without a father who lived with his family.
Both men felt especially close to their mothers and hurt by their fathers’ actions.
Rahul was also bullied because people said his father had left his mother.
The two have since tried to reconnect and make up for lost time.
Rahul Bhatt said his father, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, was largely absent after separating from his mother, Kiran.
Rahul described himself as a “super bastard child” because he felt Mahesh did not fulfill his paternal responsibilities.
Mahesh acknowledged that Rahul felt abandoned and said he had left the family for another woman.
Both father and son connected their experiences to difficult relationships with their own fathers.
Mahesh and Rahul have tried to repair their relationship and have reconnected in recent years.
- Who
- Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and his son Rahul Bhatt.
- What
- They have discussed the emotional damage caused by Mahesh’s absence during Rahul’s childhood and their efforts to repair their relationship.
- Where
- The family story is connected to Mahesh and Rahul’s lives in India; their accounts appeared in Hindustan Times, BBC Hindi, Hindi Rush, and the book Headley and I.
- When
- Rahul was separated from his father from around age three; their reflections were shared in interviews and in S. Hussain Zaidi’s book, with Mahesh speaking to Hindustan Times in 2018.
- Why
- Mahesh’s separation from Kiran, his other relationships, limited contact, and alcoholism contributed to Rahul’s feelings of abandonment and anger.
Rahul’s Perspective
Mahesh’s Perspective
Parental absence
Rahul’s Perspective
Rahul felt Mahesh was rarely present, appeared less often as his career grew, and did not make enough effort to build a father-son relationship.
Mahesh’s Perspective
Mahesh acknowledged that he left the family when Rahul was around three and accepted that Rahul’s feeling of abandonment was justified.
Source of family pain
Rahul’s Perspective
Rahul linked his anger to his parents’ separation, Mahesh’s relationships with other women, alcoholism, and the social humiliation he and his mother experienced.
Mahesh’s Perspective
Mahesh viewed his own upbringing as a major influence, saying he had no clear model for what a father’s role should be because his own father did not live with his family.
Efforts to reconnect
Rahul’s Perspective
Rahul’s account emphasizes long-term hurt and says he tried to love Mahesh while wanting his father to try as well.
Mahesh’s Perspective
Mahesh and Rahul have attempted to repair their relationship and reconnect after years of emotional distance.
Key facts
- Mahesh Bhatt’s profession
- Filmmaker who began working in movies in the 1970s.
- Rahul’s mother
- Kiran, Mahesh Bhatt’s first wife.
- Childhood separation
- Mahesh separated from Kiran when Rahul was about three years old.
- Rahul’s description
- He called himself a “super bastard child” because he felt Mahesh had not fulfilled his paternal responsibilities.
- Mahesh’s admission
- He acknowledged that Rahul felt he had abandoned the family for another woman.
- Family films
- Mahesh drew on aspects of his life in films including Arth and Zakhm.
- Current relationship
- Mahesh and Rahul have tried to make up for lost time and have reconnected.
Quotes
Mahesh Bhatt
Filmmaker and Rahul Bhatt’s father, reflecting on the impact of his separation from the family.
“There was a wound there… I left home when he was around three and he felt I had abandoned the family for another woman. And this was a grievance I couldn’t deny because it was true.”
indianexpress.com
“I was trying to love him like a son should love his father. At least, he could have tried too.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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