Not here to defend it: Pooja Bhatt opens up on 'absolutely innocent' liplock with dad Mahesh Bhatt

In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, actor and filmmaker Pooja Bhatt opened up about the controversial magazine cover from 1990 that featured her and her father, renowned filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, sharing a kiss on the lips. The cover had garnered significant media attention and raised eyebrows at the time. 

Pooja candidly discussed the incident, shedding light on the "innocence" behind that captured moment and the varying interpretations it received. When asked if she had any regrets regarding the magazine shoot that had garnered so much attention, Pooja responded, "No, because I see it very simple, and I think that, unfortunately, what happens is a frozen moment can be represented and misrepresented in any way." 

The actor further shared, "I remember Shah Rukh had told me that when you have daughters and 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, I am still a 10-pound child for my father. That is the way it will always be for me."

Reflecting on the controversial magazine cover, Pooja emphasised that it was an "absolutely innocent" moment when it was captured. "So it was a moment that was absolutely innocent which was captured," stated Pooja. Whatever its connotations, people may read it as they want; they will see it as they wish. I am not here to defend it. If you want to see the relationship between a father and a daughter in a different way, then you can do anything. And then we talk about family values. What an amazing joke."

However, it is pertinent to note that back in the day, when the kiss generated heated backlash, Mahesh held a press conference to address the entire fiasco. Various news portals, one example being the Times of India, have reported that the renowned director said in that press conference, "If Pooja had not been my daughter, I would have married her."

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