Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul Bhatt mostly grew up with his mother, Kiran Bhatt, after his parents’ separation. After they parted ways, the filmmaker went on to marry Soni Razdan, in 1986. In a recent interview, Rahul opened up about his relationship with his stepsisters Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt. He also drew comparisons between Alia and his sister Pooja Bhatt.

During a podcast with Siddharth Kannan, Rahul was asked about his bond with half-sisters Alia and Shaheen. “We have civil dynamics. I respect and love them as well. I am very happy that Shaheen is now settled. Alia is blessed. I am really happy for them, they are my younger sisters. They call me Sunny Bunny,” he said.

‘Alia has stardom, she is different’

While they share a respectful relationship, the siblings usually meet only on festivals. “We meet on our father’s birthday, Christmas, and Diwali. They know I’m there. I wish I was closer to them. They respect me, Shaheen definitely respects me more, Alia has stardom. She is different, one has to respect it. The most important relationship to me in my family in this day is with my real sister, Pooja,” he added.

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In his earlier interviews, Rahul Bhatt has often stated that Pooja Bhatt was superior to Alia Bhatt as a performer. Speaking about his intentions, he clarified, “Pooja and Alia are born in two different eras. Alia has a much more prolific body of work and versatility. Pooja had more personality, right from the way she dresses. That’s my belief, my personal opinion. If you compare, she is also the most intelligent and talented of all the the siblings.”

‘Pooja is more talented than Alia’

The fitness trainer continued, “Alia has delivered in the real world, and not once or twice, her choice of films has been consistently great. She has got talent, public relations, she understands how to create. What I mean to say is that Pooja is more a talent powerhouse, if you compare with Alia. She looked better, she had personality, she spoke well, and well informed. But, that was a different era.”

Without playing down Alia’s success, Rahul said, “Look at Pooja today as well! But, I am not taking anything away from Alia. She has overdelivered, and she is an institution by herself,” he stated.

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When asked if he has ever met Alia’s husband, actor Ranbir Kapoor, Rahul Bhatt revealed, “I’ve met Ranbir 5-6 times. I met him a couple of times at Sikander Kher’s party, Ranbir was young at that time. He is a very cool, respectful guy. He asked me about handling weapons in Animal.”

Mahesh Bhatt’s dynamic family

Mahesh Bhatt got married to Lorraine Bright (later names Kiran Bhatt) in 1970. They had two kids – Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt. However, they got separated and the filmmaker later tied the knot with actress Soni Razdan in 1986. The couple got blessed with two daughters – Shaheen Bhatt and Alia Bhatt.