‘We were never a family, never united’: Niece Ssmilly Suri opens on Mahesh-Mukesh Bhatt spat, reveals she starved and lived on Rs 2 in bank account

Actor Ssmilly Suri, who is related to filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, recently opened up about their spat and how it didn’t affect her as they were ‘never a family’ in her eyes. She also discussed facing financial difficulties due to a lack of work, revealing that she survived on just coffee and bananas and sometimes went hungry as her savings got exhausted. Speaking to Siddharth Kannan about the infamous spat between Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, she said, “It didn’t affect me. I was myself an outsider so these things don’t affect me. These things were bound to happen. We were never united. It’s sad but I don’t think we ever were a family. A lot of families go through this. Sibling rivalry and all that but everything is very hidden. Ghar ki baat ghar mein rahne chahiye (Family matters should stay inside the house).” For 30 years, Mukesh, along with his brother Mahesh, produced films under the production house, Vishesh Films. However, owing to differences between the brothers, Mukesh officially took over Vishesh Films in 2021. While Mahesh stepped down from the company, Vishesh Films was controlled and run by Mukesh and his children, Sakshi Bhatt and Vishesh Bhatt. Opening up about facing financial strains, she shared, “I have lived with Rs 2 in the bank. When I went to Singapore to train for pole dancing, I had to buy that pole and it was $1000. There were times when I had no money. I was calculating that if I don’t eat for four days, I might be able to buy the pole. So, I did that.” She added, “A lot of times even in Mumbai during Covid, I had exhausted my savings. I had enough food for my dogs but not for myself. So, I would survive on coffee and have one banana at the end of the day and sleep. This was the time I lost a lot of weight. Mohit (brother, filmmaker Mohit Suri) got very upset and he transferred some money. There have been days when I have starved. There also have been times when I have gone to the langar and eaten. There is this self-respect that comes into play when you have been treated badly.” Ssmilly Suri, who is the sister of Mohit Suri and cousin of Alia Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt, made her Bollywood debut in Mahesh Bhatt’s Kalyug, which was a box office success. However, the success of her debut film didn’t result in more film offers for her. After starring in a few unsuccessful films, she became a professional pole dancer. Now, she is making a comeback in showbiz with the film House Of Lies, which will stream on Zee5.