'Your mother is Muslim wh*re': Mahesh Bhatt recalls horrific childhood incident that scared him for life: 'Pull down his pants, we want to..'

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is popularly known for exploring the themes of complexity in love, relationships, and marriages. The undercurrent of infedility, betrayal, and unrequited love has been exploited in several of Bhatt's productions. The major reason why you find such themes in a Bhatt camp film is that he himself is scared by his own. Mahesh Bhatt's parents, filmmaker Nanabhai Bhat and Shirin Mohammad Ali's relationship didn't get the respect or acceptance from society. 

Mahesh didn't have the perfect childhood. In fact, one traumatic incident has scared him for life and left a deep impact on him. While appearing on The Pooja Bhatt Show, Mahesh Bhatt shared a disturbing story from his early teens, when four young men attacked him on the streets of Mumbai. Calling it a moment that changed his life, Bhatt said, "Suddenly, four elderly boys waylaid me. They grabbed me violently and pushed me against the wall. I panicked, and from the depths of my heart rose a cry asking the Gods to rescue me. But the Gods were indifferent; they remained silent." 

Mahesh further recalled that one of them said, “Pull down his pants." A helpless and humiliated Mahesh asked, "‘Why are you doing this to me?’ They said, ‘We want to see if you are one of us. Isn’t your mother your father’s mistress?! She is a Muslim who**, and she used to dance in cheap movies. So, why is your name Mahesh?" Mahesh felt overwhelmed, and owing to profound grief, I began crying bitterly.

The boys went on to harass him, and when Mahesh warned about complaining to his father, the bullies started teasing him, "Tell us, where is he now? Where does he stay? In your house? Tell us the truth, and we will let you go." In that moment, Mahesh was forced to speak the truth, “My father does not live with us. He lives with his wife and my other mother in Andheri," Mahesh replied. After hearing him, the bearded boy eased his grip over him and signalled him to go, but that experience changed the Naam director forever. On the work front, Mahesh's last directorial was Sadak 2. His latest production, Tu Meri Poori Kahani, was completely ignored by the audience.