Pooja Bhatt reveals the real reason why she turned down Aashiqui, sparking dad Mahesh Bhatt’s fury and weeks of silence.
Pooja Bhatt’s journey into films could have looked very different if love hadn’t intervened. Fresh off her debut in Daddy, she was offered the female lead role in Aashiqui, a film that would go on to become a cult romance starring Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal.
But instead of grabbing the opportunity, she stunned everyone by saying no. In a chat with Cyrus Broacha on his YouTube channel Cyrus Says, Pooja revealed that it was the only time when her uncle Mukesh Bhatt walked into her house with crisp bundles of cash as a signing amount, only to hear her declare she didn’t want to act anymore.
The reason? She was deeply in love, and her boyfriend at the time wasn’t thrilled about the idea of dating a Bollywood actress. Looking back at the decision with a laugh today, Pooja admitted that her partner never explicitly gave her an ultimatum. Instead, she willingly chose to play the role of the “sacrificial lamb” and the “good girlfriend,” prioritizing romance over a skyrocketing career.
The actress revealed that when she turned down the film offer, Mukesh immediately called her dad Mahesh Bhatt, exclaiming, “Beti pagal ho gayi hai, na bol rahi hai film ko.”
When Mahesh got on the phone, all Pooja could hear was his furious deep breathing. He told her, “The destination might not be certain, but the flight is guaranteed. You have no idea you’re making the biggest mistake of your life.”
The fallout was intense. Mahesh didn’t speak to her for two weeks, and when her name appeared in the credits of Daddy, he clapped sarcastically. It was only after visiting the set of Aashiqui that Pooja realized she couldn’t walk away from cinema. Though she missed out on that film, she soon made her mark with Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin opposite Aamir Khan.
Aashiqui (1990) tells the story of Rahul, a young man scarred by his broken family, who falls in love with Anu, a girl escaping an oppressive hostel. Their romance faces hurdles of ambition, misunderstandings, and ego. The film was a huge blockbuster at the box office.
