Mahesh Bhatt recalls being harassed by boys who called his mother ‘mistress’: ‘Pull down his pants’

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt recalled a disturbing incident from his childhood when four young adults tried to assault him in Mumbai over his family. He said that the ones who assaulted him called his mother ‘mistress’ and tried to see if he was "one" of them.

Mahesh Bhatt on being harassed by boys

Bhatt, who is the son of late filmmaker Nanabhai Bhatt, shared on his daughter Pooja Bhatt's show, The Pooja Bhatt Show, that no one on the streets helped him.

He said, “Suddenly, four elderly boys waylaid me. They grabbed me violently and pushed me against the wall. I panicked, and from the depths of my heart rose a cry asking the Gods to rescue me. But the Gods were indifferent."

Mahesh Bhatt added that he begged those boys to let him go, however, he was trapped between them.

When people called Mahesh Bhatt's mother ‘mistress’

“I was hoping against hope that some passerby would intervene and rescue me from these bullies. But ordinary life floated by, unconcerned about my anguish. ‘Pull down his pants,’ said one of them. Even before the boy could lurch forward and go for my trousers, I began to plead and push the boy’s hands back. I screamed, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ They said, ‘We want to see if you are one of us. Isn’t your mother your father’s mistress?! She is a Muslim who**, and she used to dance in cheap movies. So, why is your name Mahesh?’ I was overwhelmed. Owing to profound grief, I began crying bitterly," confessed the 77-year-old filmmaker.

Bhatt further said that he warned those people that he would tell his father about them, but nothing helped. Instead, they asked, “Tell us, where is he now? Where does he stay? In your house? Tell us the truth and we will let you go.”

“I stammered and weakly said, ‘I swear he lives with us. He has gone for outdoor shooting.’ But my words lacked conviction. And then something snapped in me. Looking them in the eye, I audaciously said, ‘My father does not live with us. He lives with his wife and my other mother in Andheri.’ Strangely, the air changed, and the bearded boy eased his grip over me and signalled me to go,” he added.

Mahesh Bhatt's family

Mahesh Bhatt is the son of Nanabhai Bhatt and Shirin Mohammad Ali. Including Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, they had six children.

Later, Nanabhai married Hemlata Bhatt and had three kids, including screenwriter Robin Bhatt.

Mahesh Bhatt was previously married to Lorraine Bright, with whom he had Rahul and Pooja Bhatt. Later, he married Soni Razdan and welcomed Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt.