Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has never shied away from speaking his mind, whether about cinema, life, or family. In a recent interview, he opened up about daughter Alia Bhatt’s brush with failure, his admiration for son-in-law Ranbir Kapoor, and a witty exchange with Alia about his role as a grandfather to little Raha.
On Ranbir Kapoor’s family-first nature
Bhatt revealed that his conversations with Ranbir rarely revolve around films. Instead, he admires the actor’s deep attachment to home. “Ranbir is a very sorted kid. I have never seen someone so family conscious in the industry. He loves his home and his daughter. He’s well read, he consumes a lot of cinema, but when we talk, it’s about basic things. He’s a man of few words but he listens — and that’s the sign of a great actor,” Bhatt told Siddharth Kannan.
Alia’s witty quip about Raha
The filmmaker recalled a recent family moment that left him laughing. “Raha had come over and I told her, since everyone speaks in English, I’ll speak to her in Hindi. Alia quickly said, ‘That will be your only contribution to her life.’ I said, only contribution? She immediately backtracked saying, ‘No, no, no, sorry — it will be a great contribution,’” Bhatt recounted.
He added that Alia later reminded him of a life lesson he had passed on to her: always arrive five minutes early as a mark of respect. “No matter how simple the other person may seem in the world’s eyes, punctuality is respect. Time itself is a game of punctuality,” Bhatt said.
Alia’s tryst with failure
The director also looked back at Alia’s career, recalling how the failure of Shaandaar shook her after a string of hits. “Even though she’s a tough girl, failure reminds you that you’re just a mortal. Everyone in this industry has faced it, even the greats like Raj Kapoor sahab,” he said.
