Parveen Babi’s ex-husband moved to Pakistan, Mahesh Bhatt reveals, 'He came to meet me during my visit…'

Late Bollywood actress Parveen Babi faced significant challenges in her personal life due to her struggles with mental health. She was previously involved in a relationship with director Mahesh Bhatt, who was married to Kiran Bhatt at that time. In a recent interview, Mahesh disclosed that Parveen had been married before, but her husband relocated to Pakistan and never came back. He mentioned that he only found out about this after their relationship had begun. Although this subject was rarely talked about within her family, it occasionally surfaced when her mother visited from Junagadh.
Mahesh Bhatt Learns About Parveen’s Past Marriage
In a conversation with BBC News Hindi, Bhatt revealed that he found out about Babi’s previous marriage only after they were already in a relationship. He mentioned that Parveen rarely talked about it herself, but her mother would sometimes bring it up during her visits from Junagadh. Since Mahesh was living with Parveen at that time, these discussions made it clear that she had been married once before, and her husband had moved to Pakistan.
The Unfulfilled Meeting in Pakistan
Bhatt mentioned that many years later, during his visit to Pakistan in 2003 for a film festival, someone wanted to meet him, but he was unable to find the time. He clarified that he never refused to meet the person; it simply didn’t work out. He also wondered why that individual would want to see him, emphasizing that he has always been open to meeting people and has never closed his door to anyone.
Relationship Amidst Turmoil
While still married to Kiran and raising their daughter Pooja Bhatt, Mahesh began a relationship with Parveen. In a previous interview with The Times of India, he revealed that the poor performance of his films at the box office caused a rift in his marriage, leading him to feel physically attracted to another woman. He described the difficult period by saying, “The scene was scary – I got into LSD and Parveen went through a series of nervous breakdowns. I went through trauma and a hell of my own making for two and a half years – this is reflected in Arth.”
Parveen Babi’s Death
Parveen Babi died on January 20, 2005, at the age of 55 in her Mumbai apartment. Her body was discovered three days later after neighbors noticed she had not collected her newspapers and groceries. The cause of death was multiple organ failure related to diabetes, and it was determined she had starved to death, possibly unable to eat for several days.