Mahesh Bhatt opened up about his struggle with alcohol and how Shaheen Bhatt's birth propelled his sobriety. He revealed how this incident inspired 'Daddy.'
Mahesh Bhatt is known for making films that are borrowed from moments from his personal life. In a latest interview, the director opened up about how he made ‘Daddy’. In a candid interview, Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt opened up about their struggles with alcohol and their sobriety journey.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Mahesh Bhatt opened up about ‘Daddy’. He revealed how he decided to make the film. The director mentioned that the film stemmed from his life. Mahesh Bhatt talked about his struggle with alcohol and revealed that the birth of Shaheen Bhatt finally made him quit drinking.
He said, “It was Shaheen who made me give up drinking. She was the first child born through Soni. I remember Soni had told me to stop drinking for a few days as the baby was coming.” He revealed that Shaheen propelled his journey to sobriety when she turned away from him.
Mahesh Bhatt continued, “I carried her in my arms, this frail little child. I leaned to kiss her, but she turned away from me. I felt I couldn’t have my newborn baby turn away from me. Life was telling me something through this child. That was grace. I gave up drinking...Daddy was born there — the daughter who becomes the trigger for the father.”
In the same interview, Pooja Bhatt also opened up about her struggle with alcohol. She mentioned that it was a “paradox” that she did this film. She found herself going through an alcohol problem when she was 44. However, she stopped when Mahesh Bhatt asked her to love herself.
‘Daddy’ revolved around the story of a girl who helped her father fight alcoholism. The movie marked Pooja Bhatt’s debut in Bollywood.