Pooja Bhatt has looked back on one of the biggest decisions of her early career—turning down the lead role in the 1990 blockbuster Aashiqui. The actress revealed that she stepped away from the film to prioritize her relationship at the time, a move that left her father, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, deeply upset.
Pooja Bhatt on rejecting Aashiqui
Speaking on Cyrus Broacha’s podcast, Pooja recalled that after making her acting debut with Daddy (1989), producer Mukesh Bhatt arrived at her home with the signing amount for Aashiqui.
“The only time in my life my uncle Mukesh Bhatt came to my house with crisp bundles of cash. He said, ‘This is your signing amount.’ I said, ‘I have decided I don’t want to act anymore,'” she shared.
Pooja explained that she was in a relationship with her childhood sweetheart at the time. Although he never explicitly asked her to quit acting, she felt compelled to step away from films in an attempt to be a supportive partner.
“I was trying to be the good girlfriend and the sacrificial lamb, and I said I am not going to do movies anymore,” she said.
Mahesh Bhatt’s reaction
According to Pooja, Mukesh Bhatt immediately informed Mahesh Bhatt about her decision, saying, “Beti pagal ho gayi hai, na bol rahi hai film ko (Your daughter has gone crazy; she’s saying no to the film).”
Recalling her father’s response, Pooja said he was furious but chose silence over an argument.
“You could just hear his heavy breathing on the phone. He was furious. He told me, ‘You are making the biggest mistake of your life,'” she revealed, adding that Mahesh Bhatt did not speak to her for nearly two weeks afterward.
The role eventually went to Anu Aggarwal, and Aashiqui became a landmark success at the box office, with its soundtrack achieving iconic status in Indian cinema.
Pooja admitted that the weight of her decision became apparent when she later visited the film’s set. The relationship she had prioritized eventually ended, and she returned to acting with the 1991 hit Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, starring opposite Aamir Khan.
