Popular filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt once revealed why his mother, Shirin Mohammad Ali, was concerned when he named his daughters, Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt.
Mahesh Bhatt is one of the prominent names in the industry. Over the course of his career spanning nearly five decades, the 75-year-old filmmaker has made some of the most notable films of Hindi cinema. Apart from his professional achievements, Mahesh's personal life has often caught the attention of the public. Moreover, the director has been quite open about the same.
Previously, during an interview with Rediff, Mahesh Bhatt talked about his parents, Nanabhai Bhatt and Shirin Mohammad Ali's diverse religious backgrounds, and their love marriage. While his father belonged to a Gujarati Brahmin family, his mother, on the other hand, was a Shia Muslim. In the conversation, Mahesh recalled his mother's concern as he chose Muslim names for his daughters, Alia and Shaheen, and proudly flaunted his Islamic roots.
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Continuing his thoughts, Mahesh Bhatt pointed out that his mother was probably worried about how being a minority would impact their daily life, especially in light of the 1992 communal riots in Mumbai, which made her fears even more apparent. Revealing that his second wife, Soni Razdan loved the names, Alia and Shaheen, the filmmaker said:
"She felt that her minority status would perhaps interfere with our day-to-day lives. She was a little embarrassed when I flaunted my Muslim roots. She was worried about me during the communal riots in 1992. She was worried when we named my little girls – because my second wife (Soni Razdan) liked those names, Shaheen and Alia. Both are Muslim names. Everybody was worried in 1992."
Further, in the same conversation, Mahesh Bhatt shared that his father had never been a secular person and he even never pretended to be one. Despite their varying religious backgrounds, the filmmaker's parents had deep affection and love for one another. Sharing that he had the best of both worlds, Mahesh Bhatt added:
"I had the best of both worlds. My mother was a Shia Muslim, while my father was a janoi-clad man. He never pretended to be secular. What's very interesting, both (father and mother) retained their individual faiths. They were madly in love but neither indulged in the farce of wanting to do things the other way."
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The eminent Bollywood filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt married Lorraine Bright in 1970 (her name was then changed to Kiran Bhatt). They have two children, Pooja and Rahul Bhatt. Later, in 1986, he tied the knot with actress, Soni Razdan. The couple then welcomed their daughters, Alia and Shaheen in the following years. Meanwhile, professionally, Mahesh Bhatt most recently wrote the film, Bloody Ishq, starring Avika Gor and Vardhan Puri.
What do you think of Mahesh Bhatt's revelations about naming his daughters, Alia and Shaheen?
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