Mumbai: Actor Pooja Bhatt has countered nepotism allegations aimed at the Bhatts, claiming that as a family of filmmakers they have always supported newcomers and outsiders.
Pooja pointed out there was a time when the Bhatts were accused of "only working with newcomers and not chasing stars".
"Have been asked to comment on the hot topic Nepotism that people are raging about. As someone who hails from a ‘family' that has launched more new talent-actors, musicians & technicians, than the entire film industry combined I can only laugh. Facts don't find takers. Fiction does," she started her series of tweets.
"There was a time when the Bhatt's were accused of having something against established actors & made to feel inferior for only working with/launching newcomers & not chasing stars. And now the same people play the nepotism card? Google & tweet guys & won't even say think & speak," she added.
Pooja also mentioned that they launched Kangana Ranaut with Gangster.
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"As for Kangana Ranaut -- She is a great talent, if not she wouldn't have been launched by Vishesh films in Gangster. Yes, Anurag Basu discovered her, but Vishesh Films backed his vision & invested in the film. No small feat. Here's wishing her the very best in all her endeavours," she added.
She also talked about her upcoming film Sadak 2 with sister Alia Bhatt. The film is directed by their father, Mahesh Bhatt.
"Even #Sadak2 gives birth to a brand new talent in the form of @Suniljeet72 A music teacher from Chandigarh who came to our office with no prior appointment, a dream, a harmonium & a brilliant song called Ishq Kamaal that was absorbed into the film on first hearing by my father," she added.
Pooja concluded by saying that people should not try to humiliate them by using the term "nepotism".
"Toh yeh Nepotism shabd se kissi aur Ko zalil karne ki koshish karo doston. (Then try to humiliate someone else with this word friends). The people who have found their way into the movies through the springboard we provided over the decades know what we stand for. And if they have forgotten,It's their tragedy. Not ours.Have a great day," she concluded.
Sadak 2 is a follow-up of Mahesh Bhatt's 1991 hit Sadak and is produced by his brother Mukesh Bhatt. The sequel reunites the original film's lead pair of Sanjay Dutt and Pooja Bhatt and also stars Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur. Sadak 2 marks Mahesh Bhatt's return to filmmaking after 20 years. It is slated for an OTT premiere soon.
Ever since Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, soon after the film was confirmed for a digital release, social media has been aggressively trolling Sadak 2 and the Bhatts, calling for a boycott of the film on grounds of nepotism.
