"I used alcohol as a band-aid."
Pooja Bhatt broke her silence on her past alcoholism and her failed marriage.
The actress married video jockey and restauranteur Manish Makhija in 2003. After over 10 years of marriage, the couple split in 2014.
Bravely opening up about her divorce, Pooja explained the somewhat unusual reason behind the separation.
She said: “I found myself in a marriage that was crumbling. It wasn’t crumbling because of any painful situation.
“It was rather boring, neither of us cheated or were interested in it.
“As a woman, I realised that I lost myself in the process while ticking the box that the society has set for me.
“It took me sometime to realise that I am trapped in a marriage that wasn’t working for me.
“I lost my femininity. I forgot who I was. He was a perfectly wonderful man but there was a loneliness in my soul.”
Pooja Bhatt found solace in alcohol. She detailed this phase of her life and admitted:
“I used alcohol as a band-aid, I was trapped and I was chained.
“First into being a good wife and then getting my gratification with a bottle.
“I asked myself what is the difference between a bad relationship and a bottle. I was using both to numb the pain.
“So, I learnt to deal with myself, my anguish and my emptiness and from that something magical emerged.
“I kicked the bottle and it has been seven years since I have been sober.”
Pooja made a return to the spotlight in 2021. She played Rani Irani in the hit Indian web series Bombay Begums.
Citing her younger sister Alia Bhatt as an inspiration, Pooja said:
“My sister Alia is so successful because she knows what to share. What to put out there and what not to.”
“I have learnt that it’s only when you are authentic and when you are speaking from the heart does it get communicated.
“When I look back at my life, I am enjoying what they call the fourth season of fame. There are four seasons in an artiste’s life.
“First they say he/she has potential, then they say she has arrived, then they say she is over and then they say she is back.
“So, I came back with Bombay Begums.”
The elder daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt began her career as a leading actress with Daddy (1989). The film was directed by her father.
Throughout her acting career, Pooja frequently starred in films that were helmed by Mahesh.
These include Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991), Sadak (1991), Chaahat (1996) and Zakhm (1998).
On the work front, Pooja was last seen in Chup: Revenge of the Artist (2022) alongside Sunny Deol. She played Dr Zenobia Shroff in the film.
Loading ...