Pooja Bhatt he opened up about the late actor Parveen Babihis relationship Mahesh Bhattand the tragedy he saw in the last years of the star.
“Parveen’s life was tragedy defined”
Recalling Parveen Babi’s emotional struggles and public scrutiny, Pooja told Vickey Lalwani, “Parveen’s life was very tragic in the truest sense. Whatever has happened to him in recent years, one may dismiss it as a mess, but it is a tragedy in the absolute sense.“He also added, “He wasn’t well. I mean, I’m not a doctor, so I can’t comment on the exact ailment, but he wasn’t well.”Pooja recalled seeing Parveen during a difficult phase of her life and said, “When she came back after that time, I remember her sitting in the Stardust office, using their Xerox machine and having a long interview. Amitabh Bachchan still wanting to kill him and eating only eggs because he thought everything else was poisoned by the industry. So that’s a paranoid and enlightened mind.’Calling the backlash over the actor’s condition, Pooja added, “People were enjoying the circus in the Stardust office. They printed that article looking at this person who was speaking from a place of pain. Of course, it’s tragic.”
“She was a beautiful woman and very generous”
Pooja also shared a very personal memory of meeting Parveen as a child. “I remember my father taking me to her house. She was a beautiful woman and she was very generous to me,” he said.The actress recalled that during that visit, Parveen gifted her a bottle of perfume. “I will never forget the way she gave me that perfume. That is the memory of Parveen, this beautiful film star who had the impulse to give something.”
Mahesh Bhatt stood by Parveen Babi till the end
Talking about her father’s bond with Parveen, Pooja said, “There are few who are really close to you.”Parveen Babi passed away in January 2005. His body reportedly lay unclaimed at the Cooper Hospital mortuary in Mumbai for several days. Despite having a complicated romantic history and not having relations with many family members, Mahesh Bhatt stepped forward to claim her body so that he could be given a proper burial.He also reflected on Parveen’s iconic status in Hindi cinema. Quoting Zeenat Aman alongside her, Pooja said they belonged to an era of “real men and women” in the film industry.Recalling Parveen’s immense popularity, “She was the first Indian actress to grace the cover of Time magazine. There must have been something right about her to have that privilege.”
