NEW DELHI: Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who is known to speak his mind, has shared his thoughts on Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen and his brother Vikram Bhatt’s romance, that dated back to 90s. His statement comes at a time when Sushmita and London-based businessman Lalit Modi took the internet by storm after they announced and acknowledged that they are seeing each other.
Speaking exclusively to ETimes, Mahesh revealed that he has great respect for Sushmita and her ability to be brave.
Mahesh directed Sushmita in her first film ‘Dastak’, which released in 1996. Recalling days from the sets, he revealed how Vikram Bhatt met Sushmita while filming. Mahesh said their ‘romance started in the Seychelles’ and called Vikram his ‘right-hand man’ who often interacted with her on a daily bases and eventually grew closer.
Mahesh told ETimes, “I gave her an idea of ‘Dastak’ and she instantly said yes. And the rest was history. But during the making of ‘Dastak’, Vikram’s romance with Sushmita started in Seychelles. Vikram used to be at the forefront, doing most of my work. So, he used to interact with her more vigorously. That’s how the romance began.”
Lauding the actress for her charismatic personality and work, Mahesh added, “I always remember her fondly. She was an unusual girl. What I salute her for is that she has lived her life on her own terms. She has the guts to live on her own dictates. My personal belief is that we must, in the second decade of the 21st century, give human beings the right to live life on their own terms. I think she has always been a person who has followed her heart and lived her life on her own terms.”
Sushmita and Vikram Bhatt reportedly dated in the mid-1990s after she became Miss Universe in 1994. Vikram was the writer of the 1996 released ‘Dastak’. The couple broke up a few years later. He is married to art curator Shwetambari Soni.
Sometime back, Vikram Bhatt came out in her defence of Sushmita Sen after she got heavily trolled on the social media and labelled as ‘gold digger’ for dating former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. For the unversed, Lalit Modi, 56, announced on social media in a post on July 15 that he is dating Sushmita and even addressed her as his ‘better half’. Soon after he revealed the relationship, the two were subjected to immense trolling, memes, jokes and distasteful comments, with some even calling her a ‘gold digger’.
Speaking to India Today about Sushmita being called a gold digger, Vikram said, “Sushmita is a love digger, not a gold digger. I think making fun of other people’s life is entertainment. Someone’s tragedy is someone’s entertainment, that’s always there. When Kareena Kapoor married Saif Ali Khan, even she was trolled. So, I think it goes with the territory, if you are a celebrity and if there is a decision of yours which seems funny to netizens, they start trolling.”
The filmmaker added that according to him, Sushmita Sen would be the last person who checks out bank blances before falling for someone. The director even shared an old incident when Sushmita started dating him while he was penniless and was then directing Ghulam. He revealed that the former Miss Universe even paid for his US trip and made his entry special.
“Sushmita is the last person who checks out bank balances before she decides to fall in love with someone. I was penniless. I was directing Ghulam, but I had no money. I will not forget that Sushmita was the person who first took me to the US, and she paid for my trip. I had no money. When we reached Los Angeles and there was a limousine, and I was surprised. She said that she wanted to make my entry in the US very special,” he told the news portal.
Sushmita, 46, has been a part of several hit films including ‘Biwi No 1’, ‘Main Hoon Naa’, ‘No Problem’, ‘Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya’, ‘Samay’, ‘Vaastu Shastra’ among others. She recently made a phenomenal comeback to entertainment and made her digital debut with critically-acclaimed and popular web series called ‘Aarya’.
