Mahesh says his relationship with Parveen ended tragically

Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has often spoken about his relationship with late actor Parveen Babi, and in a recent interview with BBC News Hindi, he revisited that deeply emotional chapter of his life. Calling their relationship a “major turning point,” Bhatt said it ended on a tragic and painful note due to Parveen’s severe mental health issues, undiagnosed at the time but later understood as schizophrenia.
‘She kept saying someone is going to kill me’
“I saw her go through her collapse. I went through it with her,” Bhatt recalled, describing how he returned home one evening to find Parveen “shivering and sitting in a corner like an animal,” convinced someone was trying to kill her. “She was suffering from schizophrenia,” he revealed. “Such diseases take a toll. I tried a lot to help her out,” he added, but admitted that their relationship ultimately could not survive the toll of her deteriorating condition.
Kabir Bedi witnessed early signs of Parveen Babi's illness

Before Mahesh Bhatt, Parveen was in a relationship with actor Kabir Bedi. Bhatt shared that Kabir, too, saw glimpses of her mental health struggles. “Kabir didn’t know she had a mental ailment... he saw the first glimpse of it in Italy,” Bhatt said. Reflecting on the period, he added, “I didn’t even know that there is something as mysterious as this mental disorder that changes your whole personality.”
UG Krishnamurti helped Parveen Babi's healing journey
Bhatt said Parveen was around 26 when they were together, and her condition had become “very severe.” He shared that philosopher UG Krishnamurti played a key role in helping her begin the healing process. “He told me that it is impossible for you to stay together because you will never leave movies and if she keeps doing movies, she will be destroyed,” Bhatt remembered.
Ultimately, Bhatt chose to step away from the relationship for the sake of both their well-being. “I could see that she was heading towards suicide, but I didn’t have the energy to go through that whole cycle with her again,” he said. “After that, we parted ways.”

Parveen Babi’s lonely demise
Parveen Babi died in 2005 at the age of 50. Her lifeless body was discovered in her Mumbai apartment three days after her passing.