Mahesh Bhatt often speaks fondly of his granddaughter, Raha Kapoor, the daughter of actors Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The veteran filmmaker feels that despite having parents who are A-list film stars, Raha will “outdistance” them, on the basis of the sheer pull she commands at a very young age of three.
“She’ll outdistance Ranbir Kapoor and Alia by miles. She’s different. She has a different vibe. When she comes, the whole house becomes hostage to her energy. For those few hours, she becomes the centre of everything,” Mahesh said an interview with Times of India. He also revealed that his granddaughter resembles his eldest daughter, Pooja Bhatt, more than she resembles her parents.
“I recently went with Neetu (Kapoor) to her school for her Grandparents’ Day. Soni (Razdan) was in Istanbul. We were walking through a cloud of soap bubbles. I was holding Raha’s hand while Neetu was holding the other. It was a beautiful moment. That was something which I remember doing with only Pooja. It brought back memories of walking with Pooja when she was little. Suddenly, time collapsed. She is a vibrant version of Pooja. (Eventually) The same kind of family,” added the filmmaker.
This isn’t the first time Mahesh Bhatt has expressed his fondness for Raha. Speaking to Navbharat Times last year, Mahesh hailed Raha as “special corssbreed.” The filmmaker said, “She’s a crossbreed, very special, and I feel that is the pride of India — the Ganga-Jamuni culture. I am proud that my DNA carries the major influence of my Muslim mother. This is an incredible country where so many cultures coexist together. Every generation is faster and ahead of the previous one. When I see Raha, I feel she has a unique energy.”
Mahesh has continued to speak fondly about Raha in subsequent interviews. “Her vitality is fierce. Her mind—sharp, almost evolutionary. She gives you a sense of time,” he told ETimes earlier this year, adding, “To simply speak to her… that is enough for a day.” In an interview with journalist Siddharth Kannan, the filmmaker also revealed that he is the only person who speaks to Raha in Hindi, prompting Alia to joke that it would be “the only great contribution” he would make to her life.
Mahesh Bhatt, who was born to a Hindu father and a Muslim mother, has been married twice. His first marriage was to Lorraine Bright, who later changed her name to Kiran Bhatt. They have two children: daughter Pooja Bhatt, an actor and filmmaker, and son Rahul Bhatt, a fitness trainer. Mahesh later converted to Islam and married Saaransh (1984) actor Soni Razdan in 1986.
They have two daughters — author and producer Shaheen Bhatt and actor-producer Alia Bhatt. The latter is married to her Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva (2022) co-star Ranbir Kapoor, the son of veteran actors Neetu Kapoor and her late husband Rishi Kapoor. Alia and Ranbir, who tied the knot in 2022, became parents to daughter Raha in 2022.