Meet actress who made debut at 17, became a superstar, worked with Anupam Kher, Aamir Khan, then quit acting at 25 to..

Actress and filmmaker Pooja Bhatt often remains in the headlines either for her public appearances or her participation in reality shows such as 'Bigg Boss OTT 2'. In a recent interview, Pooja Bhatt opened up about making her film debut at 17 and then becoming a director at the age of 25.

Pooja Bhatt made her acting debut at age 17, in 1989 with 'Daddy', directed by her father Mahesh Bhatt. In the film, she worked opposite Anupam Kher. Her biggest solo hit and her Bollywood debut came with the romantic comedy 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin' (1991) opposite Aamir Khan.

In a recent interview, speaking about the same, Pooja Bhatt told Siddharth Kannan, "After Daddy, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, and Sadak were super hits, at the age of 19, I was a superstar and at the age of 24, the industry said 'it's over' so, I said 'Yeh hai Duniya' This is the only industry in India where at the age of 24 when most people are just starting, you have reached the heights of stardom. They have already thrown you into the pit saying that your work is over."

Pooja Bhatt said that she was 25 when she quit acting and ventured into directing. "At the age of 25, I started my own production house, made 'Tamanna'. I got a feeling of self-satisfaction. I traveled across the country meeting people and that film raised money for charity, I got my National Award then I made 'Dushman' with Kajol and then 'Zakhm'."

Apart from this, Pooja Bhatt also shared that she did not face the camera for 21 years as she was only producing and directing films. Pooja said that she accepted the fact that her era of stardom is over and that she has entered a new phase of life as a film producer. Pooja's last film was in 2012 titled 'Jism 2' in which she launched Sunny Leone.

After staying away from the glamour world for almost two decades, Pooja Bhatt returned to acting in 2021 with Netflix's 'Bombay Begums'. She revealed, "I thought it was over for me, and then Alankrita Srivastava and Bornila (Chatterjee) sent me the script of Bombay Begums. I told them I had closed this door and I was no longer an actress. But he asked me to read it. When I read it, I thought it was amazing. I have to play this role. I made a comeback after 21 years." 

In 2022, she appeared in the film 'Chup: Revenge of the Artist'. In 2023, she participated in the reality show 'Bigg Boss OTT 2', where she emerged as the 4th runner-up of the season.

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