Pooja Bhatt (R) opened up about her break up with Bobby Deol (L). (Photo: Express Archives)Bobby Deol’s relationship with his wife Tanya Deol is one of those rare relationships in the glamorous world of Bollywood that has stood the test of time. But, long before Bobby married the love of his life, he was in a relationship ith actor-producer Pooja Bhatt. In a recent interview, Pooja recalled that “magical” time in her life when she and Bobby were together.‘Bobby Deol was a magical human being to be with’In a chat with Vickey Lalwani, Pooja was asked why she refused the lead role in Mahesh Bhatt’s Aashiqui and the actor said that after her debut film Daddy, she wasn’t keen to pursue her career as a movie actor, and also, her boyfriend at the time wasn’t too supportive of her film career. When asked if that boyfriend was Bobby Deol, Pooja shared that she “met Bobby much later in my life.” Pooja was asked if they were in love with each other, she admitted, “Of course. What’s not to fall in love with?”ALSO READ | Pooja Bhatt responds if Mahesh Bhatt changed religion to marry Soni Razdan: ‘Never left my mom’Talking about the breakup, Pooja said that they “grew in different directions” and added, “It was a magical time of my life, and he was a magical human being to be with.” Refusing to divulge any details about what led to them parting ways, Pooja said, “I don’t think it is in good taste to sit down today and talk about why my relationship with him ended or was… It was. We never denied it. He is a married man today, father of grown-up children, has a wonderful new surge in his career. I loved him in Animal. For me, he made the film. I’m so happy for him.”She said that it is important to respect the relationships that they have nurtured in the last few decades with other people. “I am not going to trivialise that equation. The time I have spent wth somebody… By getting into the why it didn’t work or… It worked till it didn’t work. That’s it. Dignity and grace for the present, for not only your own life but for the people who have been in your life, and the people who they have in their life, is a very important thing to maintain,” she said.ALSO READ | Govinda accepts falling for ‘doll-like’ Neelam, says theirs was ‘pehle wala romance’: ‘Hum bawaal machate the’ Bobby Deol with wife Tanya. (Photo: Express Archives)Bobby married Tanya in 1996. They are parents to sons – Aryaman Deol and Dharam Deol. Pooja got married to Manish Makhija in 2003. 11 years later, they divorced.Story continues below this adAbout Bobby DeolBobby made his debut in the movies with Barsaat in 1995. He has since appeared in popular films like Gupt, Soldier, Humraaz, Apne, among many others. He is the youngest son of late actor Dharmendra, who passed away in November 2025.Bobby’s career saw a resurgence with films like Animal, Race 3. He is now looking forward to Anurag Kashyap’s Bandar. He will also be seen with Alia Bhatt, who is Pooja’s half-sister, in YRF’s Alpha.