Rahul Bhatt says 'No Regrets' over past ties with 26/11 accused Headley

Rahul Bhatt, son of Mahesh Bhatt and half-brother of Alia Bhatt, was once an aspiring actor whose life changed after unknowingly becoming friends with terrorist David Headley. In 2009, it came to light that Rahul was close to Headley, who was later accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Though Rahul was never accused in the case, he became a witness because of their friendship. In a recent interview with Hindi Rush, Rahul spoke about the incident, calling it the “most devastating trauma” of his life.
Rahul stated, “I was the one who suffered the most… my identity was butchered… my character was assassinated… for what, for nothing. I didn’t do anything… and if I had, I have enough courage to accept my crime and go to the gallows… I’m a man, I’d have taken it on the chin… but I didn’t do anything, and still I was made to go through all of it. I remember everything to this day."
Rahul still faces online abuse
Rahul shared that he continues to receive abusive messages in his DMs. “It hurts when you’re called a traitor, when you have done nothing… It hurts… You start distrusting human beings." He felt the intelligence officers treated him fairly, but some media reports twisted the facts and made things worse for him.
“Everything has been out, I was never the accused, I was a witness… from day one… agar kuch hota hai toh main yahan baitha hota? It was a big case… they would have shut me if anything was true, he added further."
Rahul Bhatt reflects on past friendship with Headley
Rahul said that even though he was never accused in the case, the label of being "Headley’s friend" will always stick with him. He admitted that while he didn’t know about Headley’s true intentions back then, he has no regrets about what he went through. The experience taught him important life lessons and made him stronger. However, Rahul also mentioned that the incident has made him more cautious and “paranoid” about trusting people in his professional life.