Pooja Bhatt was born on February 24, 1972, to the Gujarati-speaking Bhatt family. Her father, Mahesh, and mother, Loraine Bright, later changed her mother's name to Kiran Bhatt after marriage. However, Mahesh and Loraine separated, and he remarried actress Soni Razdan, making Pooja's mother her stepmother.
Pooja has two step-sisters, Alia and Shaheen, and one biological brother, Rahul. Her notable cousins include Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi and film director Mohit Suri. Her paternal uncle, late Balwant Bhatt, and grandfather, late Nanabhai Bhatt, were popular Bollywood movie directors.
Pooja made her acting debut at the age of 17 in her father's production, 'Daddy', alongside Anupam Kher. She gained fame with 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin', opposite Aamir Khan, and was also appreciated in 'Zakhm' and 'Sadak'. Her acting career spanned from 1989 to 2001.
In 2003, Pooja married her long-time boyfriend, Munish Makhija, also known as Udham Singh, a host of Channel V and owner of a restaurant in Goa.
Pooja launched her own production company, 'Pooja Bhatt Productions', in 1996 and released 'Tamanna', an off-beat story about an orphan brought up by an eunuch. Unfortunately, the movie did not perform well at the box office.
She has also appeared in a documentary, 'Sunset Bollywood (2005)', where she talks about yesteryear heart-throb Rahul Roy.
Currently, Pooja continues to produce and direct movies, as well as make appearances on the small screen, especially Zee TV's 'Anthakshari', with the hope of encouraging talented youngsters.
