In an era when talk shows often chase controversy or gloss, The Pooja Bhatt Show stands out for its honesty and depth. It isn’t about celebrity gossip or promotional chatter but about life, unfiltered and unmasked. In each episode, Bhatt opens a window into stories of struggle, courage, vulnerability, and the quiet act of staying human in a frenzied world.
The show’s first episode sets the tone as Bhatt invites her father, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, for a conversation that is both raw and reflective. They talk about childhood trauma, a fragmented upbringing, his journey from humiliation to a National Award, and his long battle with alcoholism. Mahesh recalls waking up once on a pavement, unaware of how he got there. “I remember a young Shaheen turning her face away from me because of the stench of the alcohol,” he says. He remembers his father, Nanabhai Bhatt, who visited only on weekends. Flawed but courageous, he calls him, recalling the lies they told about him living with them.
It’s during this conversation that the most intimate moment arrives. Pooja reads out a letter written by her father. When she finishes, Mahesh Bhatt smiles and says, “You’ve given new meaning to my words.” It captures what the show truly is: an exchange between two people searching for meaning beyond artifice.
Across episodes, Bhatt brings together an eclectic mix of guests including actor Shreya Dhanwanthary, theatre stalwart Denzil Smith, filmmaker Tanuja Chandra, music composer Anu Malik, and lawyer-activist Afroz Shah. Each conversation carries a sense of lived experience and unguarded honesty.
Bhatt, in a conversation with Anu Malik, reflects on the precariousness of fame. With Suhrita Das, she revisits the grit behind survival—working in a salon to make ends meet, navigating marriage, and defining self-worth. With Dhanwanthary, she explores the curated nature of fame today.
Even when the subject shifts from cinema to the environment, the spirit remains the same: truth-telling. In a conversation with Dr Afroz Shah, Bhatt delves into the menace of plastic waste. “On Mumbai roads, chai is often in paper cups but it has plastic inside, which pollutes the water stream,” Shah explains.
The show feels less like a celebrity talk format and more like a conversation between kindred spirits searching for clarity in a noisy world.