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Pooja Bhatt opened up about her struggle when she became a star at the age of 19. Just a few years later, the industry declared that her career was over. In a recent interview with Siddharth Kanan, Pooja revealed, “I was 17 when I did my first film, Daddy. After Daddy, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, Sadak was like a hat-trick. At 19, I was a superstar; by 24, the industry said, ‘Yeh toh khatam ho chuki hai’ (she is finished). So I said, this is the only industry in the world where, at 24, when most people are just starting out, you have reached the height of stardom, and they have already brought you down to the pits, saying you are finished.”
Pooja then explained why she gave up acting and chose to work behind the camera at the age of 25. She said, “At the age of 25, I started my own production house and made Tamanna. I won my first National Award, got a sense of self-gratification, and regained my self-esteem for making a film like that. I traveled throughout the country, met people, and that film raised money for charity. I received my National Award. Then I made Dushman with Kajol, followed by Zakhm, and the rest is history.”
“Then I was producing and directing films. For 21 years, I didn’t face the camera; I was behind the camera. I had accepted that the stardom phase was over, and now I was in a new phase of my life making films. I made Jism 2 last and launched Sunny Leone,” she added.
Pooja made her comeback in acting and was seen in Netflix’s Bombay Begums (2021). She spent most of her career behind the camera, directing and producing movies.