Pooja Bhatt addresses viral kiss with father Mahesh Bhatt, says "it was absolutely innocent"

Actress Pooja Bhatt, who recently participated in Bigg Boss OTT season 2, discussed the attention garnered by a 1990 magazine cover where she was seen sharing a kiss with her father, Mahesh Bhatt.

Pooja asserted that the captured moment was "absolutely innocent" and expressed no regrets about the photo shoot.

She explained, "No, because I see it very simple, and I think that unfortunately, a frozen moment can be represented and misrepresented in any way. And I remember what Shah Rukh Khan told me when you have daughters, when your child is small, how often a child just says, 'Mummy papa give me a kiss,' and they go this way. At this age also, I am still a 10-pound child for my father. He will always remain that way for me."

Pooja Bhatt also criticised the media for interpreting the picture inappropriately, stating, "So it was a moment that was absolutely innocent which was captured. And its connotations, those who want to read into it will, those who want to see it in a different light will. I am not here to defend this. If people can view the relationship between a father and daughter differently, then they can do anything. Then we talk about family values. What an amazing joke."

During her time in the Bigg Boss house, Pooja Bhatt's father, Mahesh Bhatt, paid her a visit and shared anecdotes from his life. He also revealed how Pooja became the family's breadwinner during tough times. Pooja pursued a modelling career and auditioned for numerous ads, playing a crucial role in supporting the family during those challenging days.

In another episode of Bigg Boss OTT 2, Pooja discussed her relationship with her former husband, stating, "He is a very good human being, he's Capricorn, and that's why we got along very well. When we start speaking a lie, the blame game starts, and I didn't want that. Whatever was there was very good till the time it lasted. Till the time dignity was there, we were together. Then we parted ways on a good note."

Pooja and her former husband were married from 2003 to 2014.

Pooja Bhatt is Mahesh Bhatt's daughter from his marriage to Kiran Bhatt, also known as Lorraine Bright, in 1970. Mahesh and Kiran also have a son named Rahul. In 1986, Mahesh married Soni Razdan, with whom he has two daughters, Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt.