Mahesh Bhatt`s relationship with Parveen Babi was not hidden from anyone back in the day. The couple started dating in 1977 and parted ways three years later. It is no news that the actress was dealing with mental health concerns even at the time. During a recent interview, the filmmaker opened up about the late actress and how her behaviour had changed.
Mahesh Bhatt recalls Parveen Babi’s final days before death
During the latest episode of the Himanshu Mehta Show, Mahesh Bhatt recalled Parveen Babi’s final days, claiming that despite her vulnerable condition, the actress could not distance herself from the limelight. The filmmaker said that all attempts were made to make her realise that once she had those kind of breakdowns, she should not try to fit herself back in this fiercely competitive space. He suggests she should have withdrawn from the industry since she had a physiological vulnerability. Despite that, Parveen was trying to fit herself back into the competitive world.
Mahesh added, “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.”
During the same interview, Mahesh also revealed Parveen Babi’s last words. He reveals she said, “dar lagta hai” (I feel scared). Mahesh added that although she often showed her glamorous side to the world, however, deep down she was a simple woman at heart. He said, “Behind closed doors, she was a simple woman from Junagadh, Gujarat, who wanted to put oil in her hair and cook food at home. But the clothes she used to wear were very glamorous, so that she looked like a superstar. But on the inside, she was a simple girl.”
Mahesh Bhatt on Parveen Babi’s past
Interestingly, in an earlier interview with BBC News Hindi, the filmmaker has shared that Parveen rarely mentioned her past marriage. However, the topic occasionally surfaced when her mother visited her from Junagadh. Mahesh claims that her mother would occasionally say that she had once been married, but her husband had moved to Pakistan and never returned. This had reportedly come up when Bhatt was living with Parveen.
Although she remained unmarried, she was in a relationship with Danny Denzongpa, Kabir Bedi and Mahesh Bhatt during her peak years. Babi once claimed that she could not marry Kabir Bedi since she was once married to Khan and that she was afraid that if she married again, Khan would return and ruin her career.