“Parveen, I’m grateful that you touched my life.” Without you, where would I be? Mahesh Bhatt recalls his friendship with Parveen Babi on the occasion of her passing: Unique!

Parveen Babi, a diva, mystic, and marquee queen, suffered from a crippling mental condition that caused her to live a fairly alone life and pass away on this day in 2005. Known for pioneering roles in films such as Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Suhaag (1979), Kaala Patthar (1979), The Burning Train (1980), Shaan (1980), Kranti (1981), Kaalia (1981), and Namak Halaal (1982), Babi is regarded as one of the best actresses in Indian cinema.

The actress has difficulties in maintaining romantic connections in her personal life due to her diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, which often resulted in violent and uncontrolled outbursts.
In order to give her the respectable sendoff that she so well deserved, Mahesh Bhatt, with whom she was romantically involved for over three years, performed her last ceremonies. Mahesh scripted and produced Woh Lamhe…(2006), which starred Kangana Ranaut in the main role and was partially based on Parveen’s friendship with the filmmaker. Mahesh reflects on his friendship with the troubled late actress as he marks the anniversary of her death today…

The director summed her up by saying, “Bollywood is a fairy tale.” Acquire that knowledge, and you’ll always be safe. My life of wine, flowers, and tears with Parveen Babi, the Time magazine girl of the 1970s, is summed up like this. She was born in Junagadh, Gujarat, and combined her natural simplicity with international design trends.”
When discussing his connection with her, Mahesh wrote some really painful things. He added, “Over the course of our 2.5-year relationship, I saw her fall apart at the first serious episode of a mental illness and the collapse that followed. Parveen served as a launchpad for “Arth,” the movie that gave me a second chance. Our intense love affair and the catastrophe that followed broke me, giving me insights that only suffering can provide.”
Mahesh recalled her sad passing and said, “I remember so well the day her corpse lay in the morgue at Cooper Hospital, unclaimed. I said, “If no one claims her, I’ll make sure she gets the dignified death ceremony she deserves,” with my buddy Ashok Pandit.
Mahesh thanked the actress who had won over millions of hearts as he concluded, saying, “Thank you, Parveen, for touching my life. “Without you, where would I be?” he said.