Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has ignited a firestorm of controversy after revealing a chilling anecdote on his early career days. He claims he once fed human flesh to an investor on the advice of a tantrik. The confession came during a candid conversation with his daughter, Pooja Bhatt, on her podcast and has since become the focal point of public outrage.
Mahesh Bhatt said the episode unfolded when he was in his twenties, struggling to find backing for his projects. He and his friend Arun Desai had traveled to Varanasi, where they met a guru. “There was a queue of very poor people waiting to have an audience with that guruji. He was a tantrik, a young man who held a bottle of rum in his hand and would keep on dancing,” he recounted.
According to him, the guru “pulled out a piece and he made a pudiya out of it, and he said this is human flesh, which has been taken out from the ghats. He said, ‘Take this and feed it to your potential investor, and he will give you money’.”
Mahesh Bhatt said that they then went to Gaya, where a zamindar investor lived. “We bought a paan and put this on a paan and gave it to him… And slowly, he brought it close to his mouth and then, he started chewing it. We felt that we have hit the bull’s eye.” But the plan reportedly failed as a month later, Mahesh Bhatt learned that the investor had not delivered any funds.
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Since his remarks went public, social media has erupted with criticism. A Reddit user reacted, “WHAT? He realises he will get investigated for this statement right? Where did he even get it unless he murdered someone.” Another added, “Papa is trying to ruin everything that Alia is trying to build. This isn’t the image she wants.” Others questioned the ethical and legal implications, with one comment noting, “Not mentioned flesh is of alive human… I am surprised he is making this public.”
Mahesh Bhatt also revealed he had written a love letter in blood to his first wife Kiran Bhatt when she was 14. In the same podcast, Mahesh Bhatt also broke down as he spoke about his infidelity. He was in an extra marital affair with Soni Razdan.
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