EXCLUSIVE: Sooraj Barjatya opens up about his creator Mahesh Bhatt & inspiration Raj Kapoor; says, “Yeh God hai…”

Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya opened up about the key figures who shaped his cinematic journey, calling Mahesh Bhatt his creator and Raj Kapoor his biggest inspiration. He talked about the two most prominent faces of the industry who have left a lasting impact on his career as a filmmaker. He credited both legends for shaping his filmmaking style, focusing on how their work continues to inspire him.

Sooraj Barjatya on Mahesh Bhatt

Sooraj revealed that Mahesh Bhatt played a crucial role in mentoring him during his early days in the industry, helping him understand the nuances of storytelling. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, Sooraj Barjatya speaks about the Bollywood directors he looks up to. He said, “Actually, agar mai kahi maayine me director bana hu toh because of Bhatt sahab, joh mere guru hai kyuki, tab tak na maine director baare me janta hi nahi tha ki director ho sakta hai joh camera lagata hai , ya kai baar maine aise directors bhi dekhe hai jinhone bola, ‘Ha camera laga diya, actors ko joh karna hai isi beech me karo.’ Jab maine Bhatt sahab ko dekha then Anupam Ji ko tab camera ki baat hi nahi ho rahi, sirf staging ki baat ho rahi hai, aur woh bhi puch rahe hai ki, ‘Anupam kya karoge tum’. Toh uss din mujhe laga ki joh director hai joh yeh God hai, joh yeh create karta hai its beyond camera.“

He continued on the same, “Toh tabse aap dekho meri bhi joh puri soch hai woh kabhi camera….. I’m a very non visual director, I’m only a story teller because uss din se, tab se aaj tak, meri ek hi mansha hoti hai ki, kisi tarah natural lage scene kyuki agar mujhe koi action shoot karta hu na toh I can sit objectively and I can say, ‘Ha hota hoga aisa’. Thoda sa bhi nakli lagega toh log pehechan lenge.” (If I became a director, it’s because of Bhatt Sahab, my guru. Before that, I didn’t truly understand a director’s role. Watching him with Anupam Ji, I realized directing is beyond the camera—it’s about creating. Since then, I’ve focused purely on storytelling, ensuring every scene feels natural. If something looks even slightly fake, the audience will catch it.)

Sooraj Barjatya on Raj Kapoor

Speaking about Raj Kapoor’s timeless films deeply influenced Barjatya’s vision of emotion-driven cinema. While talking about Raj Kapoor he said, “Jab maine 40-45 saal pehele ki mujhe direct karna hai toh mere saamne honestly, sirf Raj Kapoor Ji ka career tha aur Raj Kapoor Ji ki filme thi, toh maine jab unke baare me padha toh maine kaha, ‘Mujhe kuch nahi chahiye, bas mujhe aisi ek zindagi ka aansh mil jaaye’. Toh kabhi mai yeh nahi sochta ki itna project banega ya itna cost hoga kyuki, woh mujhe karna nahi hai isliye maine kabhi aisa socha nahi. Kabhi soch ke nahi banaya ki iss waqt Hum Aapke Hai Kaun, iss waqt Vivaah, iss waqt Maine Pyar Kiya.” (Forty to forty-five years ago, when I decided to become a director, the only inspiration I had was Raj Kapoor Ji—his films and his journey. I wished for just a fraction of a life like his. I never thought about the scale of a project or its budget. That’s why I never planned films based on trends, whether it was Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! Vivaah, or Maine Pyar Kiya, I made them when the time felt right.)

Barjatya’s heartfelt tribute highlights the lasting impact of these iconic filmmakers on his creative journey.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sony LIV (@sonylivindia)

About the show

Sooraj Barjatya’s Rajshri Productions has produced Bada Naam Karenge, which Palash Vaswani has directed. It stars Ritik Ghanshani and Ayesha Kaduskar in lead roles alongside Kanwaljit Singh, Alka Amin, Jameel Khan, Deepika Amin and others in pivotal roles. The series released on SonyLIV on February 7.

Watch the full interview here:

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sooraj Barjatya reveals why re-released Bollywood’s romantic films are working better than new movies; CONFESSES, “People are fed up”