Pooja still regrets turning down Aashiqui: Mahesh Bhatt
One of Mahesh Bhatt’s finest films as a director, Aashiqui completes 27 years since release today. Reminiscing the love story, Bhatt recalls its iconic still — newcomers Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal kissing under a long coat. “That was a pathbreaking design. My lead pair did not have “stunning looks” as per the diktats of Bollywood in those days... I kept their faces covered [in the poster]. That image is still burned into the consciousness of the nation,” he says.
But did you know that the film was inspired by Bhatt’s love story with his first wife, Lorraine Bright, and that he wanted his daughter, actor Pooja Bhatt, to be its heroine? “The narrative of the guy falling in love with an orphan girl was kind of cannibalised from my relationship with the first love of my life... my wife Lorraine Bright. It was the heartbeat of this love tale... I approached Pooja to play the role of her mother because I could see the story of Lorraine highly expressive and more submissive if Pooja had agreed to do it.”
But Pooja, who had forayed into acting with Daddy (1989), turned down the offer. “She was reluctant to make her commitment to the world of movies, particularly acting,” reveals Bhatt.
But it wasn’t long before Pooja regretted her decision. “On the first day of the shoot, I wanted Pooja to give the clap for the mahurat shot, and I saw regret rippling her,” shares Bhatt, who makes a candid revelation. “Even today, Pooja laughingly says that it was silly of her to turn down Aashiqui. To make up for that, she jumped into the offer of Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991).”
As for working with newbies in Aashiqui, Bhatt loved it. “Rahul and Anu were raw... I could shape them the way I wanted to,” he concludes.
Pooja didn’t want to commit herself to acting... She agrees it was silly of her. To make up, she jumped into the offer of Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin MAHESH BHATT, FILMMAKER