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Pooja Bhatt Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 1, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth24 February 1972

Age53

BirthplaceMumbai

ProfessionDirector, Actor, Filmmaker, Producer, Former Model

NationalityIndian

Marital statusDivorced

SpouseMunish Makhija (ex-husband)

FamilyFather: Mahesh Bhatt; Mother: Kiran Bhatt; Step-mother: Soni Razdan; Half-sisters: Alia Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt

Pooja Bhatt Biography

Pooja Bhatt is an Indian actor, filmmaker, producer and former model. The eldest daughter of director Mahesh Bhatt, she rose to prominence in the early 199

Early life and background

Pooja Mahesh Bhatt was born on 24 February 1972 in Mumbai and raised in the city where she also attended A F Petit Girls High School. She is the eldest child of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and his first wife, Loraine Bright (who became Kiran Bhatt after marriage). Her extended family includes stepmother Soni Razdan and half-siblings Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt. The varied heritage noted on her maternal and paternal sides includes Scottish, Burmese, Armenian and English links on her mother’s side, and Gujarati and Muslim roots on her father’s side.

Physical characteristics often noted in profiles list her height as 155 cm (about 5'1"), with brown eyes and brown hair.

Career

Pooja Bhatt began in front of the camera as a child model in a television advertisement for Pears Soap and made her film acting debut in Daddy (1989). She earned early recognition with roles in popular 1990s Hindi films, including Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin (1991), Sadak (1991), Sir (1993), Kranti Kshetra (1994), Chaahat (1996) and Border (1997). For her work in Daddy she received the Filmfare Lux New Face of the Year Award in 1991.

She has worked across multiple roles in the film industry: actor, producer, director and production designer. In 1996 she launched Pooja Bhatt Productions and went on to produce films such as Tamanna (1997), Holiday (2006), Dhokha (2007) and Kajraare (2010). As a director and production designer she has credits on films including Paap (2003) and Jism (2003), and she is associated with Dushman (1998), Zakhm (1998), Jism (2003) and Jism 2 (2012) in creative capacities. Zakhm and Tamanna brought national-level recognition for issues-focused cinema: Tamanna won a National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues and Zakhm received the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.

Pooja also ventured into music and television: in 1993 she recorded an English rap track titled "Just For Today" and in 1996 she hosted the Hindi TV show Mere Saath Chal. After a break from acting that began around 2001, she returned to the screen in Sanam Teri Kasam and appeared in the documentary Sunset Bollywood in 2005. She made a special appearance in Sadak 2 (2020) and in 2021 played Rani in the Netflix series Bombay Begums. In 2023 she participated as a contestant on season 2 of Bigg Boss OTT on JioCinema. Beyond film and television, she acquired the franchise rights for Team Delhi Hoopers in the 3BL basketball league in 2018.

Public profile

Pooja Bhatt’s public life has included both professional milestones and widely reported personal moments. She married Munish Makhija in 2003; the couple separated after eleven years and are now divorced. Earlier relationships and associations that have been discussed publicly include a live-in relationship with actor Ranvir Shorey. She has been open in public interviews about personal struggles, including challenges with alcohol and steps she took toward recovery.

Pooja is known to be an animal lover and keeps a dog and several cats. She has appeared frequently on magazine covers and remains a visible figure in Indian entertainment because of her body of work across acting, production and direction.

Latest updates

In recent years Pooja Bhatt has been visible on digital platforms and television. She walked with Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Hyderabad on 2 November 2022. She acted in the Netflix series Bombay Begums (2021) and joined the reality series Bigg Boss OTT (season 2) in 2023. Her on-screen appearances also include a cameo in Sadak 2 (2020). In addition to screen projects, she holds ownership of a 3BL basketball team franchise acquired in 2018.

Public honours and recognition

Her awards include the Filmfare Lux New Face of the Year Award (1991) for Daddy and national film awards connected to productions she backed, including the National Film Award for Tamanna and the Nargis Dutt Award associated with Zakhm.

Personal notes

Pooja has several tattoos with personal meanings and has spoken publicly about choices she has made in life, including quitting smoking and overcoming alcoholism. She remains a figure who has moved between acting, filmmaking and producing while maintaining a prominent public presence rooted in a longtime association with Indian cinema and her family's filmmaking legacy.
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Recent Work

Bombay Begums

Played the role of Rani in the Netflix web series.

2021
Sadak 2

Made a special appearance in the film.

2020
Bigg Boss OTT (Season 2)

Appeared as a contestant on the reality TV show which streamed on JioCinema.

2023
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Career Highlights

  1. Debuted as a child model in a Pears Soap TV advertisement and acted in her first film Daddy (1989).
  2. Won Filmfare Lux New Face of the Year (1991) for Daddy.
  3. Founded Pooja Bhatt Productions in 1996 and produced films including Tamanna (1997).
  4. Associated with award-winning films such as Tamanna and Zakhm which received national recognition.
  5. Directed and worked in production design on films including Paap (2003) and Jism (2003).
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Pooja Bhatt born?

24 February 1972

What is Pooja Bhatt known for?

Director, Actor, Filmmaker, Producer, Former Model

What is Pooja Bhatt’s marital status?

Divorced

Who is Pooja Bhatt married to?

Munish Makhija (ex-husband)