(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

In a world obsessed with perfection, Pooja Bhatt walks into the room like a quiet rebellion - unapologetically herself, wearing her age and experience like armor and poetry all at once. There's no hiding behind curated facades or a PR-crafted veneer. Instead, she speaks with an openness that makes the room pause - as though everyone has been waiting for someone to say these things out loud.

More than three decades since she first graced the silver screen in films like Daddy (1989) and Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991), Bhatt remains a voice of raw honesty in an industry that often chooses silence over truth, gloss over grit. Today, she speaks as someone who has seen both the blinding glare of stardom and the quiet solitude that follows when the lights fade - yet through it all, what remains constant is her innate refusal to fit into the neat boxes society tries to impose.

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Beyond wearing the hats of actor and filmmaker, Bhatt has also embraced the role of mentor - guiding aspiring actors and creative talents through workshops and masterclasses that focus not only on honing the craft but also on discovering one's authentic voice. It was in this spirit that she came to Dubai to lead her own acting masterclass, in collaboration with Moonlight Films and Theatre Studio - an initiative that brought a dynamic blend of artistes from India's film and theatre industry to the city. "Dubai was a natural extension of our successful workshops in India because of the community here," says Bhatt. "Especially Indians and people from Pakistan, who can't work in India at the moment and often feel overwhelmed thinking, 'How do I even reach Bollywood?'”

The workshop, designed to offer a hands-on experience, featured casting director Shiv Chauhan - known for films such as Stree - alongside actor and director Imran Zahid and theatre artiste Danish Iqbal. Culminating in Bhatt's powerful session, the workshop aimed to give aspiring artistes valuable insights into the deeper nuances essential for thriving in the film industry. Because, after all, as Bhatt puts it,“It's about how an artist really winters”.“How one endures failures is what truly separates the men from the boys, and the women from the girls. It's about finding the strength to start over, again and again.”

'Acting for anyone who wants to open up'

Acting, though a pathway to self-confidence, is also a vital instrument in understanding the human experience, says Bhatt.“I keep telling people, it's not just about becoming the next Shah Rukh Khan or Aishwarya Rai. Acting teaches you to hold your own in a room, to feel. And we need that more than ever now.”

Recounting an experience from one of her earlier workshops, she shares,“We had a doctor in Chandigarh, India, who attended our acting workshop. He wasn't there to act, he just wanted to learn how to speak to his own patients without fear. He said, 'I want to do this to open up. I wanted to know what it felt like to hold one's own.' He had never even held a mic in his hand.”

An acting course, she adds, is not just for people who aspire to be actors or want to enter the movie business.“It's for anyone who wants to open up, who wants to have a real experience, who wants to feel something and understand whether they have the capacity to respond the way someone on screen might - and that's something we all relate to.”

'People don't go to the movies to see you, they go to see themselves'

As someone who has seen the peak of stardom and also willingly stepped away from its dazzle, Bhatt speaks of the power of cinema with clarity.“It's not polished bodies or pretty faces that will guarantee you a space in Bollywood or people's hearts,” she says.“It's an inner light that shines that makes them connect with you. People don't go to the movies to see you - they go to see themselves.”

Her words land heavily in an era where filters and retouched images dominate screens big and small.“There is room in nature for a rose, and there is room in nature for a weed,” she adds.“Do you have the guts to be you and not allow the world to tell you who to be?” After all, self-love - a term that's quickly become a social media staple - isn't just about salon visits and pampering the exterior, Bhatt points out.“This is what self-love really is, it's being able to sit with yourself alone and deal with your insides.”

In many ways, this philosophy has also defined her career - her husky voice, once deemed unsuitable for a heroine, became her signature.“When I did Daddy, there was a discussion whether to retain my voice because heroines didn't sound like that. My father [Mahesh Bhatt] said, 'Either people accept her for who she is, or reject her for who she is'. And that stayed with me.”

'Don't force your Botox on me'

To Bhatt, it is these imperfections that set us apart from machines and allow us to truly connect with others.“AI can do everything except feel on behalf of you, so who's going to do that for you?”

That sensitivity, she argues, is not just an artistic imperative, but a moral one - a way to stay connected in an increasingly disconnected world.“It's all about forging a connection. That's what chemistry truly is - how I feed off you, and you feed off me.”

In an era of manufactured perfection, Bhatt argues that embracing vulnerability and holding on to our flaws is what really makes us human, especially as artificial intelligence looms large.“If you want to make sure you'll always have a job, then hold on to your flaws, hold on to your uncertainties - because that's how you beat AI,” she adds, warning against the urge to“iron out all the rough edges and become like an assembly line creation.”

If you want to make sure you'll always have a job, then hold on to your flaws, hold on to your uncertainties - because that's how you beat AI"

At 53, she's acutely aware of the ticking clock that often governs the careers of women in cinema - but what's equally clear is her determination to challenge those norms. Case in point: her comeback in Bombay Begums, which marked a pivotal moment, as she portrayed a character navigating menopause - a subject rarely explored in Indian entertainment.“You've hardly seen a woman have a hot flash on screen. That's why the BBC and everyone else picked it up. It was something that needed to be in the public space,” she says.

In a culture that often sidelines older women, Bhatt took up space and filled it with unapologetic presence.“It was liberating,” she adds.“To see yourself in HD, every line and wrinkle. And women thanked me. They said, 'Thank God we can see a real face.'"

While she doesn't judge those who choose cosmetic procedures, the actor stands firm in her belief that it must remain a personal choice.“If someone chooses to undergo procedures and that makes them happy, I have no right to feel superior to them. But it has to be a choice,” she adds. "I won't force you to not do it, but don't force your Botox down my throat. I'm an actor - my face has to be mobile. How do you express emotion if everything is frozen?”

'Certainties don't breed wonder'

Looking back on her early years in Bollywood, Bhatt describes herself as a 'reluctant star'. Stardom, she admits, was never something she fully embraced.“I was 19 and didn't even know what stardom meant. I was a superstar, and by 24, they said I was over - at an age when most people are just beginning their lives," she adds. "But because I was born into this industry, I always knew that nothing lasts forever.” A grounding and wisdom she often credits to her father, whom she refers to as her 'anchor'.“My father always told me, 'Pooja, sing your song and go. Don't worry about how you're remembered - that's not your problem and you cannot control it.”

First, they say you have potential, then they say you've arrived. Then suddenly, you're over - and before you know it, you're back"

A crucial part of living with authenticity, Bhatt believes, is embracing life's uncertainties and remaining open to its possibilities.“There is a space and a time when you should be grappling, you should be uncertain, you should be in awe, you should be feeling a sense of wonder. Certainties don't breed wonder - wonder comes with not knowing,” she adds.“First, they say you have potential, then they say you've arrived. Then suddenly, you're over - and before you know it, you're back,” she says, with a knowing smile. And after all, the Bhatt family has its own way of staying relevant across generations, she laughs.“Every 20 years, we put a Bhatt out there. First me, then Alia, now Raha. Whether she becomes an astronaut or an actor, only time will tell.”

But beyond the fleeting glare of fame, the actor never fails to remind us that what really matters is our capacity for real, human connection - the ability to see and be seen as we are, without masks.“We're like ferries passing each other on the creek, just for a brief moment in time,” she says.“We owe it to each other to blink the lights, to say hi. That allegiance - that's what really matters.”

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