The Pooja Bhatt Show

In this intimate conversation, Pooja Bhatt sits down with producer Marijke Desouza to explore a career shaped as much by mentorship as by quiet perseverance. What emerges is the portrait of a filmmaker who learned her craft from the ground up—by observing, absorbing, and carrying forward knowledge passed down through experience rather than formal instruction.Marijke reflects on her journey from prop shopping as a production design assistant and being production manager on films with tight budgets to producing large-scale films like Brahmastra, offering insight into how guidance, trust, and responsibility move organically across film sets. The conversation sheds light on the industry’s most unseen labour: the delicate balance between creative ambition and financial reality, the changing scale of crews, and why production—often mistaken for mere logistics—is, in fact, central to bringing stories to life.Alongside these professional reflections are moments of personal vulnerability—navigating grief, learning from loss, and understanding when to lead, when to lean on others, and when to step back. It becomes a conversation about staying aligned with one’s inner compass while quietly supporting those around you—reminding us that mentorship is rarely announced; it is practiced.The episode is less about spectacle and more about substance—a thoughtful reflection on growth, resilience, and the quiet grace of those who hold the framework steady, allowing others the freedom to dream.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this intimate conversation, Pooja Bhatt sits down with Kunal Kapoor to trace the living legacy of Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre—not as an institution, but as a home shaped by memory, ritual, and artistic discipline. What emerges is a portrait of a family for whom theatre was never merely performance, but a way of life.Kapoor reflects on deeply personal traditions—from legendary Christmas lunches to memories of a Goa that existed before it became a destination—and on the quiet resilience behind Prithvi’s enduring ethos: the show must go on. That belief was tested most profoundly after the loss of his mother, Jennifer Kendal, yet it remains the moral spine of the theatre she helped build.The conversation moves fluidly across questions that matter today: the fragility of true patronage in a culture increasingly governed by commerce, the challenge of funding theatre without hollowing its soul, and the responsibility of preserving memory in an age that forgets too easily. Anecdotes like the now-mythic “Chamcha Room” sit alongside reflections on books, paintings, and archival labour—acts of care that reveal Kapoor as both custodian and chronicler.This episode is less an interview than a meditation—on legacy without nostalgia, on art sustained by discipline rather than spectacle, and on the quiet truth that legacy is not preserved here; it is practiced.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pooja sits down with actor and voice artist Mohan Kapur, a performer who has mastered his craft by simply living life. The episode sees the two friends trace Mohan’s journey: from being paid ₹500 an episode on Saanp Seedi - money he jokingly refers to as for “cigarettes and booze” - to finding himself inside the Marvel universe. He laughs about being “a man everyone loved to hate,” recalls the time a co-actor on the sets of Angaaray got so carried away that he hurled real rocks at Mohan and Pooja ended up getting punched, and the time Samuel L Jackson complained to him about being scratched by a cat named Thor. The conversation moves fluidly between humour and heartbreak. Mohan opens up about losing both parents, caring for his mother through her final months, and refusing to enter his home after the death of his beloved cat, Ladoo Singh. Mohan also reflects on the question of nepotism in the industry, and of film casting being dictated by social media following. This is an intimate, funny, often disarming exchange between two friends who have unknowingly shaped each other’s lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pooja meets Abbas Ali Moghul, the award-winning action director behind more than 300 films and shows, and the son of actor Habib, who fled Iran at seventeen to chase his dream of working in Hindi cinema. Habib went on to appear in more than 150 films, yet passed away with little recognition. Abbas carries that legacy forward with quiet pride, and has become one of India’s most respected action directors, known for crafting iconic sequences in films like Ghulam, Josh and Agneepath.In this conversation, Abbas reflects on performing death-defying stunts long before VFX and modern safety gear. He shares what it means to stand in for stars when things turn dangerous: jumping off an eleven-storey building without ropes, crashing through glass walls, even setting himself ablaze.Abbas takes Pooja behind the scenes of some of Bollywood’s most unforgettable moments: Aamir Khan’s legendary train stunt in Ghulam, Akshay Kumar’s daring leap onto an aircraft’s wings, and the thoughtful lesson Hrithik Roshan once offered his son, Arbaaz.The discussion traces Abbas’s extraordinary arc—from acting in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi to witnessing his father’s struggles and isolation within the industry.This episode shines a light on the grit behind the glamour: the underpaid stunt performers who risk everything, the moments Abbas worked while wheelchair-bound, and the sleepless nights that still precede every dangerous shoot, even after forty years in the business. It’s a heartfelt reminder of the invisible backbone of cinema, and the passion that keeps it alive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this moving conversation, Pooja meets Amruta Subhash, a National Award-winning actor and theatre director. This conversation is one between soulmates: it starts with tears, ends with tears and wanders through many worlds that have shaped Amruta’s life.Amruta speaks with candour and vulnerability: about directing and acting in her brilliant play, Asen Me Nasen Me — a gift from her husband and playwright Sandesh Kulkarni, based on her father’s descent into Alzheimer’s — and about grappling with her grandmother’s death and the guilt and desperation that followed.Amruta recounts the time theatre legend Satyadev Dubey threatened to slap her, even as Pooja likens her to a dragon unleashed when the camera rolls.Beyond this, the conversation is also a meditation in resilience and healing. Amruta talks about her transformation--being confined to a wheelchair at 23 to rebuilding her life piece by piece; about finding an unexpected father figure in playwright Vijay Tendulkar, who quietly nudged her toward therapy and healing. The two look back at Amruta’s acting journey, and how she grew up seeing her mother Jyoti Subhash transform from a bhakri-cooking homemaker to a force on stage — a metamorphosis that left her spellbound.Along the way, Amruta laughs about receiving a postcard from Aamir Khan that convinced her, as a young girl, she was meant to marry him; and how her first words weren’t speech at all, but song.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pooja sits down with the ever-unassuming yet endlessly fascinating Avtar Gill—a man who insists he’s “ordinary” despite a career spanning 350 films. In this episode, filled with sardonic humour and candid reflections, Avtar looks back at the quiet strength of his truck driver father, jokes about being labelled Mahesh Bhatt’s third wife, and reflects on the lessons he has absorbed from greats like Dilip Kumar, Pran and Hrishikesh Mukherjee.Along the way, he regales Pooja with stories—of the time Rishi Kapoor pranked him at midnight by pretending to be Steven Spielberg, why Sanjay Dutt pushed for a Sadak remake, when he wrote his own dialogues in Rangeela and the time he witnessed Mithun Chakraborty eat rice and salt water in a hotel suite in Malaysia.Avtar also reveals how he has managed to look the same for decades, why he calls himself an also-ran, why he has no ego in asking for work and how, despite nearly five decades of work in the industry, he remains a labourer at heart.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pooja sits down with Rahul Bose - actor, director, writer, activist, sportsman, sports administrator and dear friend. In a conversation marked by candid admissions, warm banter and thoughtful reflections, the two revisit the Bombay they grew up in and what it means to embrace singledom. Rahul speaks openly about the arc of his life: the early hunger for money, success and fame, and the slow shift toward quieter pursuit of service and cutting out negativity. He recalls the night Anurag Kashyap phoned him at 2 AM to praise his directorial debut, Everybody Says I Am Fine; his overwhelming encounter with the generosity of Zakir Hussain; and why he believes the lines between arthouse and mainstream cinema have largely dissolved. Along the way, the two remember a series of moments from their shared past—Rahul scribbling poetry for Pooja on a tissue in the middle of the 'Ghetto' and breaking a traffic signal for a shot. Rahul also reflects on why marriage holds no particular fascination for him and why he’s content being an eternal bachelor. He talks about the time he kissed Pooja on screen, the bewilderment he felt when he saw his friends’ mothers cooking instead of their fathers, and the deep sense of gratitude that anchors him today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pooja talks with Jayesh Sheth, who has spent over four decades chronicling the industry and its stars by bringing his sense of spontaneity and soul into his photographs.From being a wedding photographer to being chosen to shoot Richard Gere, Jayesh takes Pooja through his journey marked by vivid encounters with India’s biggest stars. He recalls Rishi Kapoor’s first lesson to him in showbiz, why Zeenat Aman was as fierce as a ‘tigress’ in their first photoshoot after her eye injury, how a laughter-filled accident got him an iconic shoot of Rekha, and the time he coaxed Jagjit Singh into donning a pair of jeans for a photo shoot. From napping while Shahrukh Khan waited in his studio, to why he thinks actor Raj Kumar was the toughest actor to shoot with, Jayesh shares what it was like to capture an industry over decades, where every star had their own aura.Together, Pooja and Jayesh look back on a time before filters and followers and why Jayesh wants young artists to “chase the light and not the likes.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pooja meets Shreya Dhanwanthary, actor, author and someone who believes in seeking validation within, and holding onto your true self. Shreya, best-known for her roles in Scam 1992, The Family Man and Chup, opens up about how she navigates lean times and keeps the fire burning, despite it all. Shreya tells Pooja why travel keeps her rooted, and why failure still scares her. The two crack up about the time a director assumed Shreya’s wit came from ChatGPT, which she calls “the plastic surgery of vocabulary”. They both discuss embracing singledom in an age where the fear of loneliness is driving people into loveless relationships, with Pooja noting that slavery comes in attractive packages. An episode that will nudge you to own your journey, be true to yourself and stand up for your choices. Honest, funny and fiercely real—episode has it all. Listen to it now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pooja sits with writer-filmmaker Suhrita Das, a woman who had to lose everything she was before she could finally become who she is. Das, the director of Tu Meri Poori Kahaani, and Pooja speak of the price of awakening —a motherhood lived in absence, a marriage left behind, a body changing before the world was ready to see her, and a film born through fire instead of applause. Two women —no masks, no posturing —holding space for the truth that: sometimes a life is not built, it is survived into. Not achievement. Rebirth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pooja sits down with Afroz Shah — lawyer, activist, UN Champion of the Earth, and friend — whose quiet determination transformed a one-man beach clean-up into a global movement for change. Shah has led what the UN calls the world’s largest beach clean-up, steering it with unwavering commitment for over 550 weeks and counting.Afroz shares why action matters more than compassion, how our lives of convenience are harming the planet, and the small but powerful steps we can take to heal it. From cleaning alongside Amitabh Bachchan, to discussing marine pollution with Vladimir Putin, being introduced by Mark Ruffalo to a New York audience, and mourning the loss of friends like actor Irrfan Khan, Shah reflects on the grit, grief, and grace that have fuelled his journey — a story of community, patriotism, and finding purpose — and love — even in garbage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pooja has a heartfelt conversation with Anu Malik, one of the most prolific music composers of the Hindi film industry, a man with nearly 300 Hindi films and a National Award under his belt. In an industry where you are crowned one day and crucified the next, Anu has relentlessly pursued his craft for over nearly five decades and is the genius behind the music of films like Border, Baazigar, Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aayi, Refugee among countless others. Yet, this episode isn’t about his films, it’s the story of how he got here. From poignant childhood memories of his family’s struggles to heartbreaking recollections of his musician father Sardar Malik, to his own setbacks. Along the way, Anu also reveals why he once got his own hoardings taken down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, film-maker and writer Tanuja Chandra takes Pooja through the many lives she’s lived in cinema and beyond it. From facing down a mob to creating films that broke new ground, she opens up about the making of Tamanna and Zakhm, sharing behind-the-scenes stories with MM Kreem, Anand Bakshi, and Kajol. She reflects on the lessons learned from failure, making Dushman, the quiet wisdom of Irrfan Khan, the soulful making of Sur with Lucky Ali and the learnings from Aunty Sudha Aunty Radha. Along the way, Pooja and she concur that longevity matters more than going viral and laugh over the time a bartender ducked at the sight of Sanjay Dutt.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features the versatile and talented Denzil Smith, a theatre stalwart and screen actor who has featured in Paap, Lunchbox, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, Delhi Crime and most recently, Ba***ds of Bollywood, among many others. In this bare and heartfelt conversation, Pooja and Denzil talk openly about addiction, recovery, processing pain, navigating sobriety and reminiscing about the Bandra that was and how it shaped them.  Along the way, Denzil talks about Bombay’s vibrant jazz scene, and the unsung heroes behind some of India’s biggest musical hits, including a man named Anthony Gonsalves, immortalised in the Amar Akbar Anthony song. But beyond all this, Denzil talks about dealing with the loss of a parent late in life, about the masterclass in acting that he received from the legendary Jagdeep, and why the Hindi film industry’s liberal character might now be changing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we continue the unfiltered and heartfelt conversation with acclaimed filmmaker, screenwriter and author, Mahesh Bhatt. Enduring intoxicating success and belittling failures. The blooming and withering of love. Acknowledging and fighting alcoholism. Meeting one’s idols. Holding onto the capacity to gamble it all away, and hilarious insights on how to deal with critics. The conclusion of this two-part special is both deeply personal and equally relatable. Come for the honesty, stay for the fire.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first guest on The Pooja Bhatt Show is none other than her father - acclaimed filmmaker, screenwriter and author, Mahesh Bhatt. This rare and intimate conversation between a daughter and her father, is searingly honest, sparklingly insightful, irreverent, and hilarious in turn. In this first of a two-part special, Mahesh Bhatt opens up like never before. Deeply personal revelations and a walk down memory lane, with inside stories about some of the Indian film industry's greatest legends. Nothing is off limits; come for the honesty, stay for the fire.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join iconic actor and filmmaker Pooja Bhatt as she takes you behind the scenes of the Indian film industry. A new weekly podcast, where she sits down with some of the most remarkable people from Bollywood and beyond, sharing inspiring stories and rare insights, through conversations with directors, actors, musicians, producers, stylists, singers and more. From the highs and lows of her journey to the remarkable tales of those shaping Indian cinema, this show offers an authentic glimpse into the heart of the entertainment industry culture and her life - reflections, both reel and real. Nothing is off-limits. Love. Loss. Addiction. Healing. Fame. Failure. Everything will be on the table. She and her guests will talk about it all, with honesty and vulnerability, stories you’ve never heard before. Listen to new episodes of The Pooja Bhatt Show starting on September 20th on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.