Some Bollywood stories just refuse to die. You think they're buried, and then a podcast episode digs them right back up. That's exactly what happened this week, and the internet noticed.
On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, actor Ranvir Shorey posted a note on X reacting to something Rahul Bhatt said about a fight from more than twenty years ago. And the note wasn't polite silence. It had teeth.
How a 20-Year-Old Fight Came Back
The podcast that started it
Let me be honest, this whole thing began in a pretty low-key way. Rahul Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt's brother, was on a podcast recently and talked about the old incident. He said he'd stepped in after an argument between Ranvir and his sister, and that he'd physically assaulted the actor and even broken the glass of his car.
Then came the surprise. Rahul said he regrets it. He said he shouldn't have overreacted, admitted that back then he'd have said he'd do it again, and then pointed out that in Ranvir's case he was wrong. He called Ranvir very decent and said the actor was gracious enough not to hold a grudge when the matter was settled.
That's not something you hear every day from someone talking about a decades-old scuffle.
A quick refresher on who's who
If you missed the original drama, here's the cheat sheet.
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ranvir Shorey | Actor, born August 18, 1972, in Jalandhar, Punjab |
| Pooja Bhatt | Actor-filmmaker; the two were in a relationship in the early 2000s |
| Where they got close | On the set of the film Jism |
| Rahul Bhatt | Pooja's brother, who spoke on the recent podcast |
| Pooja's marriage | Married VJ-turned-restaurateur Manish Makhija in 2003 |
| Ranvir's marriage | Married actor Konkona Sen Sharma in 2010; son Haroon born in March 2011 |
| Both marriages | Eventually ended in separation |
And yeah, that timeline alone tells you how long ago this all happened. Two marriages, a child, and a whole lot of life have passed since.
Ranvir's Reply: Short, Sharp, and Pointed
What he actually wrote
So here's the thing. Ranvir didn't take the apology-ish moment and simply say thanks. He posted that he was glad more than 20 years of "malicious propaganda and slander" had finally given way to some truth. He then added what he called the missing piece, saying that defending yourself against violence to escape someone toxic isn't the same as "hitting."
That's a heavy sentence. It reframes the entire story from his side, and it's clearly aimed at a narrative he says he's been living under for two decades.
Why "slander" is such a loaded word
Ranvir has said before that Pooja's family portrayed him as an alcoholic and an abusive partner, and he claimed that Rahul assaulted him after the argument. So when he says the propaganda is finally giving way, he's talking about the reputation he says he was saddled with.
That's where it gets interesting. Both sides have presented conflicting accounts of what happened between them over the years, and nothing about this week's back-and-forth settles that neatly. One person's regret isn't the same as a full verdict, and one person's post isn't either.
| Point | Rahul Bhatt's version | Ranvir Shorey's version |
|---|---|---|
| The fight | He hit Ranvir and broke his car's glass after the argument with Pooja | Says he was assaulted by Rahul |
| Feelings now | Regrets overreacting, praises Ranvir | Glad the "propaganda" is fading |
| The core dispute | Stepped in over the argument with his sister | Says defending yourself from violence isn't "hitting" |
The Bigger Picture
Why this hits differently now
Here's what I keep thinking about. Twenty years is a long time to carry a version of the story that isn't yours. In the early 2000s there was no X, no podcasts, no quick way to answer back. A rumor in a film magazine could define someone for a decade. You couldn't just post a clarification and have it seen by lakhs of people that same afternoon.
And now you can. Which is probably why Ranvir reacted so quickly.
What we don't know
But let me pump the brakes for a second. As of now, I haven't seen a fresh response from Pooja Bhatt to any of this. That matters, because this is a story about three people, and only two of them have really spoken in public this week. Everything past that is guesswork, and guessing on someone's private history isn't fair to anyone involved.
What we can say is what's on the record. Rahul has said he regrets his actions. Ranvir has said the truth is finally coming out and that he isn't the villain people painted him as. Those two statements can sit side by side without meaning the story is tied up neatly.
Why people can't look away
Bollywood loves an old feud. Add a relationship that started on a film set, a family with a famous name, a brother stepping in, a smashed car window and two later marriages, and you've got a story people will read at 11 pm without meaning to.
But behind the gossip, there are real people who were hurt, embarrassed, angry or all three. Some of them have been dealing with that longer than half the audience has been online.