Pooja Bhatt back with a bang

Hindi filmmaker, actress Pooja Bhatt (daughter of Mahesh Bhatt) who’d a wonderful run in the 90s with many memorable performances in Sadak, Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin, Border, took a sabbatical from the industry in the 2000s and donned the greasepaint after a 20-year gap with Sadak 2. Sadak 2 had an OTT release in 2020 and earned huge flak for its poor plot, but Pooja Bhatt’s latest release on Netflix, Bombay Begums, has more than compensated for it.

Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, Bombay Begums tells the story of five women from various walks of life in Mumbai and their struggles to carve a niche amid an insecure, patriarchal society. In a complex character as the CEO of a bank in the city, Pooja Bhatt delivers a knockout performance, carrying her persona with a lot of elegance and strength. It’s a performance that makes one realise how she remains grossly underutilised as an actor all these years.

Digital platforms can prove to be a saviour for veteran actors who have distanced themselves from the film industry for many years. It allows them to do something out of the box and not be relegated to the role of a mother, sister or other elderly roles in regular films. Bombay Begums is sure to open many more opportunities for Pooja Bhatt.