Pooja Bhatt

I am choosy about my films, period - whether it's my father directing it or anybody else.

The satellite and digital space is where the audience for 'Cabaret' lies: a discerning lot who don't rush to the cinema hall on the first day, first show, and prefer instead to consume their entertainment at their time and comfort.

Now, with a click of a button, one has access to amazing content across a wide plethora to choose from; hence, traditional filmmakers will have to evolve in order to cater to the palate of the newly empowered end consumer or perish.

What supermarkets did to small neighbourhood shops is what digital platforms will do to cinema.

My gaze is very different from that of Ekta Kapoor's, and that is quite visible in those two films - 'Ragini MMS 2' and 'Jism 2.'

I don't only cater a film to the male audience but also the female audience.

I want to bust the stigma attached to alcoholism in our country. Women particularly are discouraged from seeking help because it's a matter of shame for the family. We don't share our pain or frailties; we cover our weaknesses, and it becomes a cancer.

Your film is a hit, you bathe in champagne; it flops, a single malt lessens the pain.

I'm in the pink of health except for the weight I put on because I'm now a stressful producer. But being the daughter of an alcoholic makes you four times more susceptible to becoming one.

I am grateful to all the ups and downs in my life.

Metamorphosis is important as long as we learn from everything.

I love my flops. Look at my life: my failure that broke my heart made me stronger.

I have seen this whole process of films releasing, becoming hits or flops, for too long now to expect things to do well. If I expect a film to do well, then it is for somebody else's sake, not for my own. I do my work, and if you feel that my work is improving from film to film, then I have done my part of the job.

I want to be a star who acts as well.

It doesn't matter whose banner I work for. If it is good, then I do it if I want to do it.

Apart from my film, I am producing TV serials and plan to make more films, too. Mine is not going to be one-film-a-year production company as such.

I am acting in a film based on Abheek Barua's 'City of Death.' It is a dark story that sifts through many layers of Kolkata.

I don't believe that a piece of paper can decide your relationship status.

We have German Shepherds, gifted by a friend, and the rest are street dogs we have adopted.

It's important that, as women, we tell ourselves we are half of the humanity, and unfortunately or fortunately, we rely too much on other people for our validation.

Very often, unfortunately, people may believe something, but they go along with a group of people because they don't have the courage to stand alone or stand up for themselves.

I did 'Daddy' when I was 17 years old. My father, Mahesh Bhatt, directed the movie, and he cast me.

Some people don't have the luxury to see a future without the man, as they are dependent on him. That's because they put their education or priorities aside to be mothers or wives to somebody.

Sobriety has been the most life-affirming path for me.

If you are not willing to be a lone wolf, keep your truth to yourself. If you want acceptance and your truths to be spoken, it is a slippery slope.

'Jism' is what it is because of my feminine gaze... And I believe strongly that my female audiences deserve eye candy as much as my male audiences do!

Bollywood is a great place. You can expect support for award ceremonies, weddings, and funerals.

Truth doesn't need a PR. If you believe it, go out there and speak it. Do not expect anyone to hold your hands and support you.

I believe in taking big risks. If you encourage new people, they want to prove themselves. They give their best. This is not possible with established stars, who treat their job casually most of the time.

There are no bad actors. There are only bad directors who cannot make their actors act.

The director does not have anyone to blame but himself. He or she cannot hide behind anybody. If a film is a hit, everyone gets the credit, but if it flops, only the director can be blamed.

I have always wanted to be independent. When I became a producer, people said I would not succeed, but I proved them wrong.

I don't believe in feeling victimised. Instead, I like facing it on. Would I like to change a few things in life? Yes! But at the end of the day, mistakes are the dues you get to have a full life.

I am sorry if I am going to disappoint women who feel that becoming a mother completes you. I don't feel I am any less of a woman for not having a child.

I quit drinking because I thought somewhere I had fallen in that trap of addiction, and the only way to get out of it was to acknowledge it to myself.

I have Scottish genes: my grandfather was Scottish. My father was a voracious drinker. So, drinking came naturally to me.

I don't leave things like recovery to chance! I have learned from the best, after all - my father and uncle!

My dear friend Randeep Hooda says I am more a unionist than an actor. I reminded him I was a star and not just an actor.

'Jism 3' has to be bolder and hotter in every way! Even the star cast is more diverse.

I was India's youngest producer. I was 21 when I produced my first film. I've continued to produce films because of the people who have worked with me and supported me.

You won't see me compromising just because it is convenient for me to do so.

I enjoy just being a producer and a home maker. I love being in charge. I love being the tortured and tormented soul. I am a Piscean. I enjoy the real-life drama fully.

The last person who was brave enough to cast me was Rahul Bose in 'Everybody Says I'm Fine.' He gave me no choice. He is my dearest friend. I confided in him about how disillusioned I was by the business of cinema and stardom. He offered me a role.

My censor board is my own heart and mind. Our audience can say that the women in my films are bold or sensual, but never, ever vulgar.

Since I started as an actress in the film industry, I realised the power of visuals and how that can fuel the imagination of our mind. It is very powerful. Therefore, I always cater to my own sensibility first and then to the world.

I grew up in an environment where I could see the kind of havoc alcohol can create.

It annoys me that we glorify sex symbols one day and make them apologise the next.

I am single, successful, and reasonably attractive. Whether I decide to have relationships that end in taking the plunge or not, they are my decisions.

I enjoy production more than acting, as one is involved in many aspects of film-making.