Mahesh Bhatt celebrates 78th birthday with family; fans miss Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor

Mahesh Bhatt marked his 78th birthday surrounded by family, but Alia Bhatt was not there.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt celebrated his 78th birthday on September 20 with his wife, actor Soni Razdan, and children Pooja Bhatt, Rahul Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt by his side. While Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor and their daughter Raha were absent from the photos, glimpses from the intimate family celebration were shared on social media by Soni and Pooja.

Mahesh was surrounded by hugs, cake and family on his special day.

Sharing a clip of the birthday boy posing as his family members appeared in the frame, Soni Razdan wrote, “Happy Birthday Baby ♥️💐♥️.” Pooja Bhatt also shared several pictures from the celebration, captioning them, “Warmth,cake,gratitude,grace. ✨️♥️.”

Pooja also shared a close-up picture of her father with a birthday topper that read, “Happy Birthday Papa.”

See inside photos from Mahesh Bhatt’s birthday celebration:

Mahesh Bhatt married his first wife, Lorraine Bright, who later came to be known as Kiran Bhatt, in 1970. The couple had two children, Pooja and Rahul Bhatt.

Their relationship later came under strain during Mahesh’s high-profile relationship with actor Parveen Babi, eventually leading to their separation.

Mahesh Bhatt later married actor Soni Razdan in 1986. The couple has two daughters, Shaheen Bhatt and Alia Bhatt.

Story continues below this ad

Mahesh Bhatt and his son Rahul Bhatt have also spoken about their strained relationship and the filmmaker’s absence during Rahul’s childhood. Rahul, who largely grew up with his mother Kiran after Mahesh separated from her when he was three, felt that his father had not fulfilled his responsibilities as a parent. He recalled trying to love Mahesh “like a son should love his father” and felt that his father could have made a similar effort.

Mahesh, meanwhile, has acknowledged Rahul’s feelings of abandonment after he left home and admitted that his son’s grievance was valid. Over the years, the father-son duo have attempted to reconnect and make up for lost time.