Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 16, 2017)

The Bhatts marked Mother’s Day on Sunday by assembling at the youngest family member Alia’s residence which she shares with sister Shaheen for a quiet family dinner. The filmi family was particularly excited to have Pooja and Rahul Bhatt join in, with Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan, after a long time. The menu for the evening was overlooked by the matriarch.

Mahesh told Mirror, “The evening was planned by Alia, she’d wanted us all to catch up since a long time. When she invited us over on the family Whatsapp group, everyone instantly agreed. Both my girls had a hectic day as Alia had just returned from Dahanu (after releasing a rescued sea turtle back into the ocean) and Pooja was preparing to leave for her farmhouse for a shoot, but they still made it. The party started early, at 8.30pm, as I have dinner at a fixed time, and wrapped up by 10. Sunny (Rahul) is into fitness so the conversation revolved around that. Soni’s TV show went on air on Monday so everyone was excited about that too.”

Despite so many stars under one roof, it was Alia and Shaheen’s cat Edward who stole the show. “Edward kept everyone entertained, even when he retired to his quarters, Pooja kept clicking his pictures. We also clicked a family picture at Pooja’s behest,” Mahesh Bhatt signs off.

Actress marked Mother's Day by launching a 90-kilo turtle back into the ocean before having family over for dinner
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 15, 2017)

Fresh from a holiday in Maldives, Mahesh Bhatt celebrates his ‘dysfunctional family’, which has created a new ‘normal’
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 20, 2016)

Mahesh Bhatt has just returned from a four-day vacation in the Maldives, deconstructed, and is trying to put himself back together. The family holiday was Alia’s gift to her mother, Soni Razdan, on her 60th birthday and Bhatt marvels at how his 23-year-old daughter who is all for staying “fiercely connected”, has given birth to the whatsapp group where she keeps the chatter going. He admits that he had willingly thrown himself into work and set out to achieve all that he has. And though he has no regrets, he realizes today, at 68, that while he has given his four children— Pooja, Rahul, Shaheen and Alia— everything, he held back the most important thing and it was time to give more of himself.

So, the workaholic writer-filmmaker who was never into vacations, allowed himself to be persuaded into going on this break with Soni and daughters, Alia and Shaheen. He found himself in a villa with a private beach, mesmerised by the pristine beauty and overwhelmed by the explosive silence. “I’ll always cherish the memory of the four of us cycling on the island. I bought a Panama hat which cost a bomb and even got myself sunglasses for the first time because the sunlight was too bright,” he reveals. “The real treasures of this holiday were not just the splendid sights of nature but the treasures hidden within oneself... Of gratitude, compassion and the sense of ‘we-ness’. The real treasures of life waiting for me to discover them.”

He also discovered how big a star Alia had become as people approached her for photographs, autographs and to rave about her performances. He was also left dumbfounded by Shaheen’s unique connection with wildlife, including sea turtles and fishes. He’s equally moved by her piece on depression in Mumbai Mirror and will have it framed for his study. “Unlike me it wasn’t an act of bravado. She wrote about the paralysing biochemical aberration with a candid simplicity. To see your child look into the abyss of depression and not blink but emerge stronger is a proud moment for any parent,” he says.

Since his return, he’s also been bonding with son Rahul and admits it’s another proud moment when people call his fitness guru son the architect of Aamir Khan’s impressive wrestler body in an upcoming film. He’s also moved to hear Rahul talk about him in glowing terms in recent interviews. “We’ve had a wounded past, but it’s never too late to make up and rebirth a father/son relationship,” he reasons, pointing out that in a strange paradox, his four beautiful children who have come out of what people believe to be a dysfunctional home, have gone on to to create their own normal, living life on their terms.

Next year, his daughters will collaborate on a project for the family banner, Vishesh Films, with Shaheen scripting Aashiqui 3 and Alia top-lining the cast. How does that feel? “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, this is showbiz,” he warns. “Yes, the script is in Shaheen’s young and capable hands but when Aashiqui 3 will become a go-go project, we’ll know only by and by. The intention is there, but as we have seen many times before, there’s many a slip between the cup and the lip.”

Rahul Bhatt doesn't deny or accept the charge that the actor acquired his Dangal physique that way
Subhash K Jha (DNA; December 9, 2016)

A fitness coach Ranveer Allahbadia has released a video on the internet which clearly insinuates that Aamir Khan has used steroids to get an incredible physique in Dangal.

Rahul Bhatt, Aamir’s fitness coach throughout the making of Dangal, refused to either deny or confirm the charge. Dismissing Allahbadia’s assumptions as inconsequential, he says, “It would amount to breach of confidentiality for me to talk about this. All I can say is, steroids are an occupational hazard in the entertainment industry. It would be naïve to believe that its consumption is nil, and to deny its existence.”

So is Rahul tacitly admitting to the use of steroids for Aamir’s miraculous makeover? He protests, “I am not admitting to anything. Just how my client got that physique, or how any entertainer gets into shape is a matter between the client and the coach. I am not at liberty to talk about this.”

He adds, “Let’s put it this way. If I had a son and he wanted to be an actor I’d never let him mess around with steroids. And only a qualified fitness coach can guide you through a proper regime where you don’t mess up your metabolism with mindless abuse.”

Aamir’s Dangal trainer Rahul (filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s son) deconstructs superstar’s fat to fit transition in just five months
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; December 8, 2016)

"This was plan A,” says Rahul Bhatt, as we scroll through his phone, scanning the diet chart that whipped a 97-kilo Aamir Khan into an athlete with a 9.6 per cent body fat, for his wrestler-biopic, Dangal. A list of healthy delicacies is generously sprinkled with what the average fitness enthusiast would refer to as ‘bad’ food – breads, poha and pulses. “We didn’t cut out carbohydrates, because then, he’d [Aamir] be thinking about food all the time. Besides, given his activity level, he needed the energy.”

Rahul also shows us a Plan B that would have been put into use, had the actor been unable to benefit from the first chart. “This would have been completely devoid of carbs. Fortunately, we never had to use it.” Bhatt helped Aamir shave off 30 kilos in a span of five months for the portrayal of Mahavir Singh Phogat in the Nitesh Tiwari-film. However, while the actor’s fans have applauded him for the transformation, others suspected that a transformation of this nature couldn’t have been executed without the use of steroids. “When we didn’t even need to use a stricter diet plan to produce the results, why would we need steroids?” questions Rahul. “Aamir’s transformation was a result of sheer perseverance and sweat. There is no substitute.”

Steroids, agrees Rahul, may be resorted to by those who want to look great, irrespective of the follies in their regimen. “Aamir was aspiring to look like an athlete, and so, trained like one. He put in close to five hours a day training,” he adds. Highlighting the actor’s daily routine, Rahul informs that Khan’s days would usually commence at 4.30 am, with an exercise routine that comprised compound movement and cardiovascular activities. “There was an AM workout and a PM workout. In addition, there was almost an hour of wrestling practice,” he says, adding the actor would also play squash and tennis.

Rahul also incorporated weight training with functional movement. “Aamir needed to build his body for aesthetic purpose. In order to enable his muscles to look bigger, we made him execute multiple sets of the exercises with six to 12 reps.”

After the mathematical analysis, the “ magic number” of 2,400 calories was arrived at for Khan. “We’d alter this number depending on his activity level each day. Also, Aamir took a keen interest in the science behind the training. Once he understood the process, he fully cooperated. He can squat twice his body weight, press one-and-a-half of it and lift thrice as much,” informs Bhatt, who is currently working on developing his own chain of fitness studios. “I want to bring the guru-shishya culture into fitness training. Applying scientific techniques to methods used by the pehlwans in the villages, I wish to revive old-school regimens in today’s time.”

Prod him for a name for the chain, he pauses for a moment, and as though having just arrived at one, announces, “Akhada!” It may be recalled Rahul met David Coleman Headley at a gym in Mumbai when the latter recced the city for terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba’s masterplan for 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Along with journalist Hussain Zaidi, Rahul penned a book named Headley and I, talking about him and his love for Indian women and Armani clothes.

Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul on the process of coaching Aamir Khan for Dangal
Subhash K Jha (DNA; December 3, 2016)

You’ve seen the pictures, no doubt. The ones showcasing how Aamir Khan gained 97 kilos for his role as Mahavir Phogat in Dangal and then dropped 20 kgs for parts of the same film, that is.

The man behind both looks is Mahesh Bhatt’s son, Rahul. “It was my responsibility to lay out the blueprint for his physical coaching. The year I spent coaching him through his weight changes was a learning experience for me, though. I’ve not seen such fierce dedication and passion in anyone.”

So did Aamir follow Rahul’s instructions blindly? “Not at all. Aamir has an encyclopaedic mind. He absorbs and filters facts according to his requirements. He listens carefully. He can differentiate between fact and conjecture.”

Training would begin early every morning. “Aamir would wake up at 4 am for the workouts. There were basically three steps to his training. The psychological aspect is the most important. Then the diet and finally the training. All he needed was to be convinced of the psychology of weight loss, the rest just followed naturally. It was ‘mind over fatter’ all the way.”

After a year together, Rahul still doesn’t think they’re friends. “Though I was his personal trainer, it was all very professional. I was invited deep into Aamir’s personal space. A confidentiality had to be maintained. I had to safeguard his privacy and mine. I had to safeguard his health and make sure he was injury-free. I’ve achieved that. His success is my success.”

Bhatt goes a step further and insists that many celebrity personal trainers are unqualified. “I am not a trainer. I am a coach. A lot of people are in it to make a quick buck. These trainers are sycophants, part of the stars’ entourage. Only an exceptional man like Aamir Khan can hire someone like me.”

Subhash K Jha (DNA; November 21, 2014)


Says Pooja, “Rahul is a fitness trainer. He will put Richa under a strict regime and make her slog to look the part.”

Gulshan Devaiah will star opposite Chadha while Pooja has also cast her old friends Deepak Tijori and Mukul Dev in pivotal roles in Cabaret, which will be directed by veteran ad maker Kaustav Narayan Niyogi.

Gulshan and Richa last featured in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela but didn’t have many scenes together.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 16, 2014)



Pooja confirms, “Earlier, I thought I’d only produce Rahul’s film. Now, I’ve decided to direct it. He has waited for a long time. I can’t afford to let him down. I know what he is capable of and how to get it out of him on camera.”

Bad goes on the floors as soon as Pooja finishes directing her long-in-the-pipeline project Cabaret.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 27, 2014)

Not so long ago, Rahul Bhatt had gone on record to say: “Mahesh Bhatt never treated me like his own child. It's the raw uncut truth about my relationship with my father. I was vulnerable. I had no father to guide me in my growing years.”

But the two seem to have put the frayed relationship behind and made a new beginning as Mahesh Bhatt is ready to launch his son in a co-production with daughter Pooja. The director has not yet been finalised but sources close to Rahul reveal that Pooja herself might wield the megaphone.

The film, titled Bad, will go on floors next year and Mahesh Bhatt says, “I am not in the business of launching my kith and kin in movies. But suddenly, everything fell into place and I found a script which fits Rahul like a glove.”

Insisting that “everything is fine between me and dad now”, Rahul says, “The past is history and the future is a mystery, the present is all that matters. Whatever I had to say, I wrote rather articulately in my book Headley & I. Now let’s let bygones be bygones.”

Mirror has it that Rahul’s character will have grey shades. The 32-year-old actor is unperturbed about debuting with a dark role and says, “I play a rather twisted character, those traits are in me too and hence I guess I won’t have to try too hard.”

Other than being bad, how is Rahul preparing for the debut? The fitness trainer already has a buff body and says that he has no plans to lose the muscle. “I have a big built, that’s how real men are. I plan to continue being a gym instructor as that is my passion and I do it for a price,” he asserts.

Rahul earlier made headlines for his alleged association with 26/11 Attacks accused David Headley and in 2002 he was arrested for allegedly assaulting Pooja’s then partner Ranvir Shorey. Then, came the tell-all book. A Bollywood career would require him to remain controversy free. How does he plan to do that?

“Was it wrong to stand up for my sister when someone beat her up? Have I got drunk and banged my car into a bakery? Have I gone hunting? Look, I am not insinuating anything. I just air my opinions and I shall never lead my life to please other people,” he rages.

Parting shot. What does he think of stepsister Alia Bhatt’s acting career? Pat comes the reply, “Exceptional! She has come up with an awesome performance in Highway. She is the Meryl Streep of India.”

Subhash K Jha (DNA; February 25, 2014)

It has been long-due. Finally Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul, who has been waiting in the sidelines, will be making his acting debut in a film that Mahesh and Pooja Bhatt will co-produce.

The wannabe actor, in the news for his association with David Headley, has talked about his troubled relationship with his father in the book Headley & I.

A major part of the bitterness that Rahul felt towards his father stemmed from the fact that Mahesh chose to launch many newcomers through his production banner but ignored his own son.

Mahesh maintained he wasn’t in the business of making movies to promote his kith and kin. Five years ago Anurag Basu was supposed to launch Rahul in a film entitled Suicide Bomber. Nothing was heard of that project after the announcement.

Says a source, “Rahul is very much into stunts and action. The role that Mahesh and Pooja have in mind for him seems tailor-made, though neither the film nor the role was designed for Rahul. Mahesh would never promote his own son.”

When asked about the father-son collaboration Mahesh said, “It’s too early to start talking about it.”