She may be the daughter of famed filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, but she has achieved enough on her own to prove her own mettle in Indian cinema.
Pooja Bhatt made her debut in 1990, aged 17, in her father’s film Daddy. It was a great start as she endeared herself to audiences with her good looks and acting abilities.
The audiences realised there was something about her – an intensity which translated into her roles. She made the right choices and carved a niche of her own. She quit in 2001 but is planning to make a comeback soon.
Here are five of her films which created an impact.
Daddy (1990)
Cast: Pooja Bhatt, Anupam Kher, Manohar Singh, Soni Razdan, Nenna Gupta, Avtar Gill
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
Pooja (Pooja), who has been brought up by her grandparents because her parents were supposedly dead, gets a shock when her father Anand (Kher) turns up alive. But he is in a shabby state now and has become alcoholic.
Anand makes mysterious calls to Pooja, and says “I love you”, and then hangs up. Her grandfather traces the calls and gets Anand beaten up. But Anand comes to Pooja’s rescue while she is getting molested by some men. But will the father and daughter get together again?
Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991)
Cast: Aamir Khan, Pooja Bhatt, Anupam Kher, Deepak Tijori, Tiku Talsania, Samee Chitre, Avtar Gill
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
A daughter of a tycoon falls in love with a famous actor and runs away from home but is rescued by a journalist who falls for her. Pooja (Pooja) is going by road to meet the actor when she meets Raghu Jaitley (Aamir) who wants a story from her to revive his career. They make a deal whereby she will give her story if he takes her to Bangalore.
After a series of adventures, the two get closer and plan to hitch up. Pooja returns home to her father Seth Dharamchand (Kher) but many misunderstandings occur. Her father has to set things right and he cleverly arranges their escape.
Sadak (1991)
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Pooja Bhatt, Deepak Tijori, Sadhashiv Amrapurkar, Neelima Azeem, Avtar Gill
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
An evil transgender Maharani (Amrapurkar) makes life hell for Pooja (Pooja) before a taxi driver Ravi (Dutt) tries to rescue her. Ravi falls for Pooja while his friend Gotya (Tijori) is fascinated by Chaanda (Azeem). Maharani is tough on Ravi and puts stumbling blocks in the way.
Ravi wants Pooja by hook or by crook. He sells his taxi to pay off Maharani for spending time with Pooja. One night, he stabs Maharani and escapes but is eventually caught by the former and injured badly. Ravi is still determined and he finally finds a violent way to get Pooja forever.
Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee (1993)
Cast: Rahul Roy, Pooja Bhatt, Pooja Bedi, Avtar Gill
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
An alcoholic filmmaker Rahul (Roy) comes in contact with a schizophrenic Pooja (Pooja) and takes a liking to her. They fall in love later but Pooja cannot hold on to a relationship as she is mentally unstable and has to be committed to a mental institution.
Then a fire breaks out at the institution and Pooja is believed dead. Rahul is devastated and despite help from an actress Seema (Bedi) his obsession for Pooja remains. Then there is a phone call and a voice like Pooja’s talks. And there are more calls.
Sir (1993)
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Pooja Bhatt, Atul Agnihotri, Paresh Rawal, Soni Razdan, Gulshan Grover, Avtar Gill
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
A school teacher Amar Verma (Shah) lives in Mumbai with his wife Shobha (Razdan) and son Kunal. The latter is a victim of a gang war between Veljibhai (Rawal) and Chhapan Tikli (Grover). Amar later devotes his life to students after his wife leaves him and helps Pooja (Pooja) to recover from stammering.
Things begin to happen when the two gangsters decide to engage in a battle to the finish. Amar inadvertently puts Pooja in danger along with other students. An additional complication is that Pooja loves Karan (Agnihotri) against her father’s wishes. What will Amar do?
~~
- Mogambo Khush Hua! - July 13, 2019
- Five Spoofs To Make Your Day - July 7, 2019
- Have You Seen These Aamir Khan Classics? - June 29, 2019
