Mahesh Bhatt calls Aashiqui 3 a product of ‘creative bankruptcy’, says he has nothing to do with the film, hints at brotherly feud

Mahesh Bhatt denied having anything to do with the upcoming Aashiqui 3, and said that the film is being made to capitalise on the brand.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | September 26, 2025 04:26 PM IST

4 min read

Brothers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt had a falling out some years ago, with Mukesh Bhatt taking over control of Vishesh Films. (Express Archive)

Days after director Mohit Suri described the upcoming film tentatively known as Aashiqui 3 as a ‘project’, his uncle, Mahesh Bhatt, has made similarly dismissive comments about the movie. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, he said that he has nothing to do with Aashiqui 3, and that the franchise is owned by Vishesh Films. The filmmaker is synonymous with the production banner, which he departed after a bitter feud a few years ago, leaving his brother Mukesh Bhatt as its sole custodian. He also spoke about his nephew Mohit Suri’s recent success with the film Saiyaara, and said that he continues to keep him grounded.

“It makes me so happy. Simba’s roar has outdone Mufasa’s. Nobody in our family has ever delivered a hit this huge. He’s my sister’s son, and he’s a completely self-made boy. But I keep giving him the feeling of not having arrived. I remind him that we might make a hit or two, but we will most definitely make flops,” he said. In a recent interview, Mohit had said that his ‘own family’ left him in the lurch when he said that he doesn’t want to rush into production on Aashiqui 3. He directed the franchise’s second film, starring Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor.

Also read – Emraan Hashmi on Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt’s professional split: ‘All good things come to an end’

Asked about Aashiqui 3, Mohit said in an interview with Shubhankar Mishra, “They decided to make the film without me, it’s true. It’s not only because (Ek Villain 2 flopped) but because they didn’t want to wait for me. But, 100% (people judge you on the basis of hits and flops). And this was my own family that were the ones not willing to wait. And I don’t blame them, because it’s a business. But, more than anything else, I wasn’t trying to prove them wrong, I was trying to prove myself wrong.”

Mahesh Bhatt was asked about Aashiqui 3 in the new interview, and he said that he has nothing to do with the project. “I once made Aashiqui, then we made Aashiqui 2. Are we so creatively bankrupt that we become slaves to one franchise? I have nothing to do with the movie. The franchise belongs to Vishesh Films, it is owned by another person…” he said. Mukesh Bhatt recently took T-series boss Bhushan Kumar to court over the use of the ‘Aashiqui’ title in an upcoming film starring Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela. The film is directed by Anurag Basu, and currently doesn’t have an official title. While it is said to be the third installment of the Aashiqui franchise, there has been no confirmation about whether it’s officially a part of the series. The franchise was co-created by Bhushan Kumar’s father, Gulshan Kumar, and the Bhatts.

Another prominent member of the Vishesh Films camp, Vikram Bhatt, recalled in an interview with Siddharth Kannan that Mahesh Bhatt had warned him about his brother long ago. “Bhatt saab said, ‘You get out of the company.’ I asked him what happened, and he said, ‘Saalo tak mere bhai (Mukesh Bhatt) ne mujhe exploit kia hai. Main nahi chahta ki woh tujhe exploit kare (My brother has exploited me for year. I don’t want him to exploit you). You go and do something on your own. I had to do what Boss said’.”

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