I regret cheating on my wife with Sushmita Sen: Vikram Bhatt

Film-maker opens up on suicidal thoughts post-divorce, controversial relationships and his own book

Bollywood film-maker Vikram Bhatt’s rocky personal life has seen him have two very serious relationships with Sushmita Sen and Ameesha Patel in the past.

The affair with Sushmita led to the break-up of his marriage with childhood sweetheart Aditi. When that relationship ended, Vikram had even contemplated suicide, wanting to jump from the balcony of his house on the sixth floor, reports Hindustan Times.



Speaking about his past mistakes, Vikram said, “That was not because of Sushmita. That was because of what I’d done to my life. I had gotten divorced, my film Ghulam was yet to be released, I was only Sushmita Sen’s boyfriend, I was depressed and I missed my daughter like crazy. I had just made a mess of my life. I don’t think any one relationship in my life has wrecked me. I think I am a collection of wrecks.”

Cheating on his wife left Vikram with many regrets. “I regret hurting my wife and my child and abandoning them. I regret the pain I caused them. I always believe that when you’re not courageous, you become cunning. I did not have the courage to tell Aditi how I felt. And it was all happening together, it was a big mess,” he added.

“I regret being weak at that time. Had I not been weak, things would have been different today. But when I look back in hindsight, it’s all about growing up, and everything teaches you something at least.”



Vikram recently released a novel, A Handful of Sunshine, which many people see as a thinly-veiled mirror of his life. It revolves around Veer and Mira, who are madly in love with each other, but are separated by a tragedy. When they meet years later, they decide to dump their respective lover/spouse and make a bid for happiness.

“It’s not autobiographical; it’s sourced from real life, inspired by real life,” clarifies Vikram. “There’s nothing about Sushmita or Ameesha in this book. While they may have been my most-known relationships, I think they were the shallow ones.”

He admits, however, that there are shades of his wife in the book, but will still not reveal who the character Mira is based on. “If I ever tell anyone about her, she will kill me. She’s a very private person. She’s not an actress. She’s someone I’ve known in my younger days,” he stated.



When asked whether he ever wanted to marry Sushmita or Ameesha, he mentioned, “No, I didn’t want to marry either of them and it’s not like there’s any bitterness. There’s too much water under the bridge now.” Now in a new stage of his life in which he’s made amends with his former wife, while his daughter works with him at his production house, Vikram shared he never wants to get married again.

“I don’t believe in the institution of marriage anymore. It’s redundant; it’s an outdated institution. It’s like lanterns in a house, you don’t use them anymore.”

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