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Mahesh Bhatt: Alia has outdistanced and outshone me in the dawn of her career

On the occasion of Alia Bhatt’s birthday, her father and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt can’t stop talking about her. In an interaction with a leading Indian daily, the proud father said, "This wonder child of mine has outdistanced and outshone me in the dawn of her career. She has just made her foray into the world of movies with a spectacular take off. I take great pride in proclaiming to the world that it gives me unimaginable joy when people come to me at airports or restaurants, in bookshops seeking a picture for their children because I happen to be Alia Bhatt’s father. I get to hear that ‘your brand Mr. Bhatt has been redesigned, refashioned and reinvested by your little girl’. She has given the brand Mahesh Bhatt a new sheen. She has added a halo to my life in more ways than one emotionally and even in terms of brand equity."

Talking about Alia’s choice of films and whether he gives any guidance to her, he said, "One of my most precious treasures, which I’ve preserved, is an autograph that Alia gave me after her first film, Student of the Year (2012), became hit. She had written: ‘THANK YOU PAPA FOR NOT HELPING ME AT ALL’. I think that’s something I flaunt to the world because nothing could be more liberating for a parent that to see his own child take off and have a kind of a spectacular launch without their help and that speaks volumes of her talent. I have never in any way given her a shoulder or felt the need to suggest to her what roles to take, which project to do or which she should not do. She is, wherever she is today, because of her own choices and not because of her father or her mother [Soni Razdan]. She is a self-made girl."

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Sweetmeats

Bush Theatre’s 'Sweetmeats' highlights diabetes risks in south Asian community through elder love story

Bush Theatre’s 'Sweetmeats' spotlights south Asian elders at high risk of diabetes in intimate new play

Highlights:

  • Sweetmeats previews at Bush Theatre from 7 February 2026, running until 21 March.
  • The play follows two south Asian elders navigating type-2 diabetes.
  • Shobu Kapoor and Rehan Sheikh star in the lead roles.
  • Co-produced by Bush Theatre and Tara Theatre, written by Karim Khan.
  • Tickets from £15, with concessions and accessible performances available.

Sweetmeats, a new play examining diabetes in south Asian communities, will have its world premiere at London’s Bush Theatre from 7 February 2026. Written by Karim Khan and directed by Tara Theatre’s Natasha Kathi-Chandra, the production follows Hema and Liaquat, two elders brought together on a diabetes support course. The play highlights both the health risks faced by south Asians and the rarely told stories of older characters on the British stage.

Sweetmeats Bush Theatre’s 'Sweetmeats' highlights diabetes risks in south Asian community through elder love story Bush Theatre’s 'Sweetmeats' highlights diabetes risks in south Asian community through elder love story

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