Pooja Bhatt opens up on her failed marriage and battle with alcoholism: ‘I lost my femininity’

Pooja Bhatt opened up on her failed marriage, her return to showbiz with the web series Bombay Begums and her triumphant battle against alcoholism during a recent book lunch event.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | Updated: November 8, 2023 07:29 PM IST

3 min read

Pooja Bhatt was last seen on Bigg Boss OTT 2. (Pic: Pooja/Instagram)

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Pooja Bhatt, known for speaking her mind, recently opened up her personal journey during a book launch event. She discussed her failed marriage, her return to showbiz with the web series Bombay Begums and her triumphant battle against alcoholism.

Speaking at the launch of the book Unchain My Heart, Pooja said, “My sister Alia is so successful because she knows what to share. What to put out there and what not to. But I have learnt that it’s only when you are authentic and when you are speaking from the heart does it get communicated. When I look back at my life, I am enjoying what they call the fourth season of fame. There are four seasons in an artiste’s life. First they say he/she has potential, then they say she has arrived, then they say she is over and then they say she is back. So, I came back with Bombay Begums.”

Pooja Bhatt also shared details of her failed marriage with Manish Makhija during the event. She said, “I found myself in a marriage that was crumbling. It wasn’t crumbling because of any painful situation, it was rather boring, neither of us cheated or were interested in it. As a woman, I realised that I lost myself in the process while ticking the box that the society has set for me. It took me sometime to realise that I am trapped in a marriage that wasn’t working for me. I lost my femininity. I forgot who I was. He was a perfectly wonderful man but there was a loneliness in my soul.”

Also read | Pooja Bhatt on her infamous kiss with father Mahesh Bhatt for magazine cover: ‘Shah Rukh told me…’

Pooja then opened up about her struggle with alcoholism, describing how she had used alcohol as a coping mechanism. The actor said, “I used alcohol as a band aid, I was trapped and I was chained. First into being a good wife and then getting my gratification with a bottle. I asked myself what is the difference between a bad relationship and a bottle. I was using both to numb the pain. So, I learnt to deal with myself, my anguish and my emptiness and from that something magical emerged. I kicked the bottle and it has been seven years since I have been sober.”

After Bombay Begums’ success, Pooja Bhatt appeared on Salman Khan’s reality show Bigg Boss OTT 2. She was among the top five finalists on the show but lost the trophy to Elvish Yadav.

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