Pooja Bhatt Birthday Special: From 'Sadak' to 'Zakhm' 5 Films That Made Us Fall In Love With Her On-Screen Characters

Actor-director Pooja Bhatt celebrates her birthday on February 24. A Bhatt debuted in Bollywood at the age of 17 in her father Mahesh Bhatt's directorial 1989 directorial, Daddy. In her career as an actress, Pooja Bhatt was a part of several pathbreaking films and made the audiences fall in love with her characters. She made her directorial debut in 2004 with Paap and later went on to direct films such as Dhoka (2007), Jism 2 (2012). As the actress turns 47 today, we look at some of her best on-screen moments.

1. Daddy

In her acting debut, Daddy which was released as TV film back in 1989, Bhatt played the character of a teenager who's trying to mend her relationship with her alcoholic father played by Anupam Kher. Even though Kher took the film to another level with his act, Pooja left a lasting impression and convinced everyone that she was here to stay.

2. Sadak

After her TV film debut, Pooja Bhatt made her presence felt on the big screen with 1991 film Sadak starring her along with Sanjay Dutt. The romantic thriller directed by Mahesh Bhatt became the second-highest grossing film that year. The actress played the character of a girl who's forced into prostitution. Her chemistry with Sanjay Dutt was appreciated by all. Bhatt put up a great act and held her own among veteran actors such as late Sadashiv Amrapurkar who played the iconic character of Maharani, a transgender pimp in the film.

3. Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi

One of the biggest hits of Pooja Bhatt's career remains to be Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin. The romantic comedy was a remake of the Hollywood Oscar-winning film It Happened One Night. Bhatt was seen playing the character of a rich spoilt brat who runs away from home to marry a film star until her chance meeting with Raghu (Aamir Kha), a loud-mouthed journalist changes the course of her journey. The film is still considered by many as their favorite romantic comedies. Bhatt's confident act in the film won her much appreciation.

4. Tamanna

Pooja Bhatt's 1997 film Tamanna is still considered to be one of the remarkable films of late 1990s. The film revolved around Tikku, a transgender man played by Paresh Rawal who adopts a baby girl after finding her left in the garbage. He works hard to raise her up and sends her to boarding school and after a few years, Tamanna (Bhatt) comes looking for him only to reject him at first. The film put up some impressive performances from Rawal as well as Bhatt and even won a National Award as the Best Film on Other Social Issues.

5.. Zakhm

Zakhm directed by Mahesh Bhatt was a film that was high on social commentary. Pooja Bhatt starred in the role of a Muslim woman who's in love with a Hindu film producer. After facing opposition from his family and society, the producer marries her secretly without acknowledging the marriage legally. After bearing his child, Pooja's character is forced to keep her Muslim faith a secret and raise her child as a Hindu. Bhatt impressed in her role of a woman who's looked down by the society for being a single mother.

After almost two decades, Pooja Bhatt will be making a comeback with Sadak 2. The film will star her along with Sanjay Dutt once again while new members of the cast include sister Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur. Sadak 2 is being helmed by Mahesh Bhatt who also returns to filmmaking after a hiatus of nearly twenty years.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 24, 2019 08:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).