When I joined films, was told to keep my opinions to myself

“I am 52 and made it to 35 years in Bollywood, and my soul is still intact. I have much to celebrate,” says Pooja Bhatt with her signature candour.

The actor is back on screens in the Nitya Mehra helmed coming of age series Big Girls Don’t Cry. Playing a principal of an all-girls boarding school, the actor says she is delighted to play her age on screen.

Pooja made her acting comeback after 21 years with Bombay Begums in 2021. “I was so relieved when Alankrita Srivastava who made Bombay Begums told me that my character was 48 years old and needed to look the part. Likewise Nitya too said she wanted a flesh and blood character. It’s such a relief to not be told to Botox, add fillers and knock off a pound or two. I cannot live up to the Dil Hai Ki Manta Ha Nahi Girl. When I was asked, when would you make a comeback? My response was it has to be a part that accommodates my girth and my mirth,” she says with a laugh.

Pooja Bhatt confesses that being around the young star cast of the show were refreshing. “I have been part of enough spaces where one has seen sincerity and insincerity at play from award shows to the average set. I liked how each one of the actors here, was allowed to be themselves and that’s the most liberating thing for any person, where you are respected. When I joined films I was told to keep my opinions to myself, but was happy to see youngsters being heard on the set.”

Be authentic

The actor who made her debut at age 17 with Daddy in 1989, chose to quit acting at age 26 and shifted gears towards film production. Producing critically acclaimed films such as Tamanna in 1997, Zakhm in 1998, and making her directorial debut with Paap in 2003, she says there were never any pretences to curate an image for herself.

“When I made my debut, I was told to get my voice dubbed, since my husky tenor was very non-heroine like, and it should not be retained. My father (Mahesh Bhatt) refused point blank, saying she has to be accepted or rejected for who she is. That was my first lesson and the only thing that has seen me through these 35 years, is to be authentic. There is baggage one carries, having been an actor, producer and director, you have great highs and lows. But I have looked over the edge and returned.”

Her sister Alia Bhatt is leading the pack in terms of brand positioning and box office power. However, the actor says even though the industry has made huge breakthroughs, it has gone several steps back in other areas.

“There is this constant obsession with perfection especially on social media. In the 90’s we didn’t have the privilege of stylists. Now, they are served this buffet and everyone has a sense of who they are. As a result, we end up getting clones of each other, you never get to see the real person. Yes, we have made leaps in terms of storytelling, but have also gone back in many ways. Back in the day when my father made Arth, the story of a woman who empowers herself without a husband or lover, it was seen as being too forward. The audience has always been ready, and people have been open, it is us within the industry and those who report on it, are frightened of endings, and letting go of familiar things., and then the world changes. One is then forced to change and we become uncomfortable with it. But, am just relieved am getting to work with people I like, which is a rarity in this business”, she says matter of factly.