'Mere Paas Zeher Khane Ke Paise Nahi The': Vikram Bhatt On Dating Sushmita Sen When He Was A 'Fakira'

Vikram Bhatt has looked back on a time in his life when he was directing major Bollywood stars and dating one of the world’s most famous beauty queens, yet struggling financially behind the scenes. Speaking in a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, the filmmaker recalled his relationship with former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen and revealed that despite his growing presence in the film industry, money was hard to come by.

“I was a struggling director. Mere pas zeher khane ke paise nahi the. I was directing Aamir Khan and dating Miss Universe so to say, but I had no money. I was broke. I remember I didn’t even have the money to buy a CD. I’ve lived life like a fakira,” Vikram said.

Around the same time, Vikram was directing Ghulam, the 1998 action

drama starring Aamir Khan and Rani Mukerji, while also making headlines for his relationship with Sushmita Sen. The two met during the making of Dastak, Sushmita’s acting debut. Released in 1996, the Mahesh Bhatt-directed psychological thriller marked the former Miss Universe’s entry into Bollywood. Vikram was working on the film as Mahesh Bhatt’s assistant when the relationship began.

Although their romance eventually ended, Vikram spoke fondly on the impact people have had on him over the years and said he carries no bitterness towards any of his ex-girlfriends. “Whoever came into my life, has done something good. When I look back, I have love and admiration for everybody in my life. They’ve always given me something. What was there to take away anyway? Some gave me love, some gave me their time, some gave me a life lesson. But they did give me something or the other,” he said.

Years later, in July 2022, businessman and former IPL chairman Lalit Modi sent social media into a frenzy when he shared cosy holiday pictures with Sushmita Sen, publicly revealing that they were dating. Recently, Lalit Modi echoed similar sentiments as Vikram Bhatt in a conversation with Humans of Bombay, “There wasn’t a time I went out with Sushmita that I had to pay for anything. She paid for everything. I was like a kept boyfriend,” he said.

After his relationship with Sushmita, Vikram Bhatt later dated actor Ameesha Patel. The two were together from 2002 to 2007 after working on Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, which starred Ameesha opposite Hrithik Roshan.

Sushmita Sen is rumoured to be dating model-actor Mohman Shawl.