Rahul Bhatt, son of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and his first wife Kiran Bhatt, has opened up about his equation with his half-sisters Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt. Rahul, who largely grew up with his mother after his parents separated, also spoke about his relationship with his stepmother Soni Razdan and compared his sister Pooja Bhatt with Alia.In a recent conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Rahul was asked about his bond with Alia and Shaheen. Speaking about his younger sisters, he said, “We have civil dynamics. I respect and love them as well. I am very happy that Shaheen is now settled. Alia is blessed. I am really happy for them, they are my younger sisters. They call me Sunny Bunny,” he said.Rahul also opened up about his equation with Soni Razdan. While describing his stepmother as “great” and “warm”, he admitted that he feels their relationship remains largely formal. “They call me, but it is all a formality,” he said.According to Rahul, his interactions with Alia and Shaheen are limited, with the family usually coming together on special occasions. “We meet on our father’s birthday, Christmas, and Diwali. They know I’m there. I wish I was closer to them. They respect me, Shaheen definitely respects me more, Alia has stardom. She is different, one has to respect it. The most important relationship to me in my family in this day is with my real sister, Pooja,” he added.Rahul has previously spoken about his belief that Pooja was a stronger performer than Alia. Addressing the comparison once again, he explained that the two actors belong to different generations and have had very different careers. “Pooja and Alia are born in two different eras. Alia has a much more prolific body of work and versatility. Pooja had more personality, right from the way she dresses. That’s my belief, my personal opinion. If you compare, she is also the most intelligent and talented of all the the siblings.”The fitness trainer went on to elaborate on why he considers Pooja a “talent powerhouse”, while also acknowledging Alia’s achievements. “Alia has delivered in the real world, and not once or twice, her choice of films has been consistently great. She has got talent, public relations, she understands how to create. What I mean to say is that Pooja is more a talent powerhouse, if you compare with Alia. She looked better, she had personality, she spoke well, and well informed. But, that was a different era.”He further clarified that his comments were not meant to undermine Alia’s success. “Look at Pooja today as well! But, I am not taking anything away from Alia. She has overdelivered, and she is an institution by herself,” he stated.Rahul also revealed that he has crossed paths with Alia’s husband, actor Ranbir Kapoor, on several occasions. Recalling their meetings, he said, “I’ve met Ranbir 5-6 times. I met him a couple of times at Sikander Kher’s party, Ranbir was young at that time. He is a very cool, respectful guy. He asked me about handling weapons in Animal.”Mahesh Bhatt married Lorraine Bright, who later came to be known as Kiran Bhatt, in 1970. The couple had two children, Pooja and Rahul, before separating. Mahesh later married actress Soni Razdan in 1986, and they have two daughters, Alia and Shaheen Bhatt.
