As Vikram Bhatt celebrates his 55th birthday, his mentor Mahesh Bhatt opens up about their remarkable journey together. From their early days to the successful Raaz franchise, Mahesh shares heartfelt insights on their enduring bond, Vikram’s resilience in the industry, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Excerpts…
How do you assess your relationship with Vikram today?
The banyan begins as a dependent, a shadow beneath another tree, borrowing space and drinking from another’s roots. But this is not weakness; it is strategy. It learns the ground before claiming it, studies the wind before standing against it. And then, one day, it sends its own roots down, finds its own strength, and becomes the thing others lean on.
When did Vikram first meet you?
Vikram was just a kid when he first wandered onto my set with his father, Pravin Bhatt, my DOP. He and my daughter, Pooja, were childhood friends, playing in the margins of my world while I was making Vishwasghat in Bangalore. Those are my fondest memories of him—before the weight of ambition, before the battle scars—just a boy lost in the magic of cinema.
Vikram has idolised you all his life?
His mother once told me, “Do you know what he does in his spare time at home? He mimics you. He says he wants to be like you.” And look where we are today. Together, we birthed the Raaz franchise, films that defined a genre and left a mark. But more than that, we forged a journey that refuses to end. The only lesson Vikram has picked up from me is this: There are no finishing lines in this game. You just keep going. You get knocked down, you get up before the bell rings, and you keep going.
Vikram’s output in recent years has been questionable?
He is still at the crease, batting through so many seasons and weathering every storm. In Bollywood, survival is the hardest art. They count you out the moment you fall. But Vikram? Vikram gets up. Every single time.
But he is still your protégé?
Like the banyan, he has outgrown the shadow he started in. He has found his own voice, his own space, and yet, he has made room for me, too. In his journey, he has created a place where I do what I do best: mentor younger talent, guide writers, actors, and directors toward discovering their own voices.
How does one explain Vikram’s enduring relationship with you in this fickle industry?
As Al Pacino famously put it, “It’s easy to fool the eye, but it’s hard to fool the heart.” That’s the secret of our lasting relationship. And Vikram, after all these years, still stands. Because he too plays from the heart. Because he refuses to quit. Because he knows—as Muhammad Ali said, “You don’t lose if you get knocked down. You lose if you stay down.” Happy Birthday, kid!!!
