Battles with alcoholism: ‘Daddy’ a chance for Pooja, Mahesh Bhatt to talk about their own demons

Daddy, which is based on Mahesh Bhatt’s own battle with alcoholism, portrays an estranged relationship between a father and his teenage daughter.

To come out in the open and expose your vulnerabilities is not easy, but for feisty actor Pooja Bhatt no subject is taboo. “If I can quit, so can you”, she declares, talking about her victory over alcoholism in a highly spirited (pun intended) media interaction in Chandigarh.

Film director Mahesh Bhatt along with daughter Pooja Bhatt interacting with the audience before the theatrical adaptation of their 1989 film ‘Daddy’ in Chandigarh on Saturday. (Karun Sharma/HT)

A perfect foil for his daughter, outspoken filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt too joins her to send a loud and clear message to today’s youth against substance abuse. Both share moments from their life when they fought their own battles with the bottle.

In town city to promote the latest theatrical adaptation of Mahesh Bhatt’s 1989 critically acclaimed film Daddy, staged on Saturday at the Elante Mall, the veteran director says “we need to constantly connect with our inner selves to keep the inner darkness in check.”

Daddy, which is based on Mahesh Bhatt’s own battle with alcoholism, portrays an estranged relationship between a father and his teenage daughter.

Pooja suggests that the topic needs to be broached with sensitivity. “We need to address the pain of an alcoholic and not his addiction as a person picks up the bottle to run away from that pain. Usually these addicts are people with extreme low-esteem. They need to open up,” she says.

After kicking the bottle for more than a year now, ironically 46-year-old Pooja plays an alcoholic cop in her upcoming film, City Of Death. Encouraging women to speak more about their problems and sufferings, she says, “We need to remove the “shame” from problems related to women, be it rape, sexual abuse or alcoholism. It’s time to address our frailties.”

Daddy, which is based on Mahesh Bhatt’s own battle with alcoholism, portrays an estranged relationship between a father and his teenage daughter. “I changed the climax of the film a night before we shot it. Since I quit alcohol owing to my conscience, I tweaked the climax to show my protagonist doing the same,” he says.

Directed by Dinesh Gautam and scripted by Mahesh Bhatt himself, the play Daddy stars Imran Zahid in the titular role. “Something from the film must have struck a chord even after almost 30 years that it is being adapted once again. I am intrigued to know the director’s take on my film”, says Bhatt, signing off.