Mahesh Bhatt remembers his doomed love story with Parveen Babi, recalls how she 'collapsed': 'She sat in the corner like an animal...'

Time of India

10 hours ago

In the 1970s, actress
Parveen Babi
shared a romantic relationship with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Their bond, however, unfolded under a shadow of deep emotional unrest. At the time, mental health awareness in India was minimal, and though Parveen displayed signs of psychological distress, she was never medically diagnosed.
Mahesh Bhatt
has since revisited those turbulent memories, revealing the heartbreaking decline he witnessed in her later years.
He described her descent as an overwhelming and painful transformation, one that spiraled beyond control. According to Bhatt, despite the clear signs of mental health deterioration, Parveen was unable to detach from the demanding world of showbiz.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Please select course:
Select a Course Category
The Irresistible Pull of Stardom
Speaking during his appearance on
The Himanshu Mehta Show
, Mahesh Bhatt disclosed that shortly before the interview, he had been penning down thoughts about Parveen's final descent into what he termed a complete mental breakdown. He explained that numerous attempts were made to dissuade her from returning to the hyper-competitive world of films after her breakdown.
Bhatt believed that given her mental vulnerability, she should have stepped away for her own well-being. However, the magnetic pull of fame, the adoration, and the spotlight had become a drug too potent for her to abandon. According to Bhatt, once someone experiences the euphoria of stardom, retreating from it becomes near impossible. Her persistence to remain in the public eye, despite her fragile mental state, led to an emotional collapse that he described as tragically unfathomable.
" All attempts were made to make her see that once she had that kind of breakdown, there's no way she should try and fit herself back into this fiercely competitive space. She should have withdrawn, as she had a physiological vulnerability. But I think once you have tasted this business, the high of the arc lights, it's very difficult to turn your back on it. But what happened to her was an unimaginable tragedy," he reminisced.
A Glamorous Star with a Simple Soul
Though the world saw a dazzling diva adorned in designer wear and exuding confidence, Bhatt shared that behind her glamorous persona, Parveen was deeply rooted in simplicity. According to him, she was a modest woman from Junagadh, Gujarat, who cherished quiet domestic joys—like oiling her hair or cooking at home. The glamorous image she projected on screen and at public events was merely a façade. Beneath it all, she longed for a life of peace and intimacy, not glitz and chaos.
A Painful Goodbye and Unhealed Wounds
In an earlier conversation with
BBC News Hindi
, Bhatt revealed witnessing Parveen suffer from severe emotional episodes. He remembered seeing her leave for shoots in the morning, only to return hours later trembling in fear, whispering delusions about imagined threats. According to him, she had schizophrenia—a condition that left her in constant fear and confusion.
"I saw her go through her collapse. I went through it with her. And when you see someone breaking down in front of you… I saw her leave in the morning for her shoot with her makeup on. But when I came back in the evening, she was shivering and sitting in a corner like an animal. She kept saying, 'Someone is going to kill me.' She was suffering from schizophrenia,' he said.
He tried his best to support her, but the mental strain was immense. When their relationship ended, it did so painfully, leaving emotional scars. Parveen Babi passed away in 2005, leaving behind a legacy of brilliance haunted by inner demons.
When Parveen Babi Became Bhatt's Muse
Mahesh Bhatt made two films based on his time with Parveen Babi. One was the 1982 drama film 'Arth,' which featured late actress Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. The second was the 2006 movie 'Woh Lamhe.' Although the film was directed by Mohit Suri, Bhatt wrote and produced it. Starring Kangana Ranaut and Shiney Ahuja, the film narrated the doomed love story between a struggling filmmaker named Aditya and a superstar, Sana Azim, who is battling her own demons.