Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is set to present Pehchaan, a show bringing together 13 Sikh voices and their stories of resilience, faith and service. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, the veteran director spoke about spirituality, unlearning, fatherhood, his relationship with his granddaughter Raha Kapoor, and his memories with legendary singer Asha Bhosle – while contemplating finding meaning beyond identity.
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is set to present Pehchaan, a show bringing together 13 Sikh voices and their stories of resilience, faith and service. Premiering on SonyLIV and its YouTube channel, Baisakhi, the series – created by Vinay Bhardwaj, researched by Dr Prablin Singh and directed by Suhrita Das – left a profound impact on Bhatt.In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, the veteran director spoke about spirituality, unlearning, fatherhood, his relationship with his granddaughter Raha Kapoor, and his memories with legendary singer Asha Bhosle – while contemplating finding meaning beyond identity.
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“It was a mirror… not a show.”
For Bhatt, Behchan went beyond storytelling and became a deeply introspective journey.“Beheshan was never a show for me… He was a mirror. And mirrors can be cruel – they don’t flatter, they reveal.”
By engaging with the stories of Sikh Faith and Siva, I found myself standing in the presence of something pure…something untouched by the noise we constantly create, in our turbulent lives. It wasn’t about learning something new, it was about remembering something I had forgotten within myself.He added that the experience did not change what he knew, but rather how he saw the world.“What changed inside me while doing Pehchaan was not information, it was a change in the way I saw.
I saw people living their faith without noise. Sikhism revealed itself not as a belief, but as a practice. He simply says: When you see “God” in another, you reach the threshold of religion. When you serve another human being, you touch “God.” This stayed with me. It took me out of my own story. And I realized again that I am not the story.
Life is. What I call my story is just a collection of the many stories that I have experienced.
“Unlearning is a painful act.”
Bhatt also thought about the idea of erasing what she learned, something he says became central to his journey through the show.“Unlearning has, for me, been a dropping of this need to stand at the centre. To explain and control. Now there is a desire to step aside and observe – even the inner chaos – without rushing to fix it.”“Erasing what you’ve learned…is painful work. We spend years building identities, beliefs, and defenses — and then life comes along and quietly asks you to dismantle them.
The only thing I had to give up was the illusion of control. I have always believed that I am the author of my journey. But through these stories, I realized… that we are often just tools. The moment you give in to this illusion, something changes…something softens.
“I interfere less now.”
Known for exploring the complexities of the human psyche in his cinema, Bhatt acknowledged that age did not necessarily bring clarity, but perspective.“Do I understand myself better today? No. I intrude less. I would say… I’m less sure of who I am, and strangely enough, this feels like a deeper understanding. In my younger years, I used to be vocal about my truths. Today, I feel more comfortable with my asking.”
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About granddaughter Raha: “A drop of divinity”
Bhatt also spoke about embracing a new role as a grandfather to Raha Kapoor, the daughter of Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, describing it as an emotional, transformative experience.“Raha came into our lives like a drop of divinity. I had barely comprehended the amazing journey of Alia Bhatt to become who she is…and then this baby girl arrived. Just thinking about her brings a smile into every pore of my being. Her vitality is fierce.
Her mind is sharp, almost evolutionary. It gives you a sense of time. You stand in a vantage point and watch the stream—your daughter and her child—and suddenly you see the continuity of life that has flowed for thousands of years and will continue long after you are gone.
However, I know that I am no different from any other grandparent. Everyone, at that moment, rediscovers life. “Simply talking to her…that’s enough for one day.”
to remember Asha Bhosle
Talking about legendary singer Asha Bhosle, Bhatt recalled a memory related to the unfinished film.“Asha ji… my memory goes back to Mukti, a film that never existed. RD Burman composed it, scored it, and the film collapsed within days. But her voice remained. For my generation, it was not just music – it was breathing. When people mourn it, I feel yes, something has gone. But more than that – what a gift we have been given. Such range, such rebelliousness, such vitality. It does not disappear. It lives on.”
“I am in a constant state of change… and that is enough.”
At this point in his life, Bhatt says he no longer feels the need to define himself.“So, what is my bihchan now? I don’t define it. The moment you define yourself, you diminish yourself. I am in a constant state of change. And that is enough.”
