Who Is Sheela Bhatt? Age, Wikipedia, Husband, Family, Biography, Interview with Dawood Ibrahim & Career

Sheela Bhatt is a veteran journalist who has been in the profession for over four decades. She is known for her fearless reporting, insightful analysis, and exclusive interviews with some of the most influential and controversial figures in India and abroad.

She is also one of the few journalists who has met and interviewed Dawood Ibrahim, the notorious gangster and terrorist who is wanted by India for his role in the 1993 Mumbai bombings.

Early Life and Education

Sheela Bhatt was born in 1962 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. She belongs to a Konkani Muslim family and grew up in the Zadgaon area of Dongri, the same locality where Dawood Ibrahim also lived.

She attended Ahmed Sailor High School, where she developed an interest in journalism and writing. She later graduated from the University of Mumbai with a degree in English literature.

Sheela Bhatt Wiki/Bio

Name	Sheela Bhatt
Date of Birth	1962
Place of Birth	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Profession	Journalist
Husband	Kanti Bhatt
Children	Two (a son and a daughter)
Education	Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Mumbai
Awards	Padma Shri, Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award, Chameli Devi Jain Award, Bharatiya Jnanpith Moortidevi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award
Books	Dawood: The Man and the Myth, Mumbai: The City of Dreams, Modi’s World: Expanding India’s Sphere of Influence
Social Media	Twitter: @sheela2010 Instagram: @bhattsheela
Homepage	newsunzip.com

Career and Achievements

Sheela Bhatt started her career in 1979 as a reporter for Chitralekha, a Gujarati magazine. She soon made a name for herself with her bold and daring stories, covering topics such as crime, politics, social issues, and human interest. She was the first journalist to interview Karim Lala, a mafia don of Mumbai, in 1979. She also exposed the alleged harassment of girls in a government remand home by Karim Lala’s men, which caught the attention of Dawood Ibrahim, who was then a rising criminal.

Sheela Bhatt met Dawood Ibrahim for the first time in 1981 when he called her and asked her to write about his rivalry with Karim Lala. She went with her husband, Kanti Bhatt, a renowned writer and columnist, to meet Dawood and his aide Chhota Shakeel at Pakmodia Street, where Dawood had his office. She interviewed him for about an hour and wrote a story for Chitralekha. She met him again in 1982 when he was lodged in a Baroda jail. She visited him there and wrote another story, in which he vowed to kill Alamzeb, Karim Lala’s associate.

Sheela joined the Indian Express in 1984 and became one of the leading journalists of the newspaper. She covered various important events and issues, such as the Bhopal gas tragedy, the anti-Sikh riots, the Kashmir conflict, the Babri Masjid demolition, the Gujarat riots, and the Kargil war. She also interviewed several prominent personalities, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, former Chief Justice of India JS Verma, and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.

Rise To Fame

Bhatt’s most famous interview, however, was with Dawood Ibrahim in 1988, when she flew to Dubai to meet him. She was the only journalist who was granted access to him after he fled India in 1986. She spent three days with him and his family and interviewed him for over six hours. She asked him about his involvement in the drug trade, his links with Pakistan’s ISI, his role in the 1985 Bombay airport attack, and his plans for the future. She also took a photograph with him, which went viral on social media in 2020. She wrote a series of articles based on her interview, which was published in the Indian Express and later compiled into a book titled “Dawood: The Man and the Myth”.

Sheela left the Indian Express in 2008 and joined Rediff.com, an online news portal, as the editorial director. She continued to write columns and articles on various topics, such as national security, foreign policy, communal harmony, and women’s rights. She also hosted a show called “Sheela Bhatt ka Sawaal”, in which she interviewed various celebrities and experts. She left Rediff.com in 2014 and joined The Print, a digital media platform, as a senior editor. She also writes for Gulf News, a newspaper based in Dubai.

Physical Stats

Weight	In Kilograms: 58 kg In Pounds: 128 lbs
Height	In Feet Inches: 5′ 6″ In Meters: 1.67 m In Centimetres: 167 cm
Hair Color	Black.
Eye Color	Dark Brown.
Shoe Size	6 US.
Piercing	Ears.

Net Worth and Income Sources

Sheela Bhatt’s net worth is not publicly known, but she is estimated to have a high income from her journalism career. She has worked for various reputed media outlets, such as Chitralekha, Indian Express, Rediff.com, The Print, and Gulf News.

She has also written several books and columns on various topics, such as crime, politics, social issues, and human interest. She has received several awards and recognition for her journalism and writing, such as Padma Shri, Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award, Chameli Devi Jain Award, Bharatiya Jnanpith Moortidevi Award, and Sahitya Akademi Award.

Sheela Bhatt’s interview with Dawood

Sheela Bhatt is one of the few journalists who has met and interviewed Dawood Ibrahim, the notorious gangster and terrorist who is wanted by India for his role in the 1993 Mumbai bombings. She met him for the first time in 1981 when he called her and asked her to write about his rivalry with Karim Lala, another mafia don of Mumbai.

She went with her husband, Kanti Bhatt, a renowned writer and columnist, to meet Dawood and his aide Chhota Shakeel at Pakmodia Street, where Dawood had his office. She interviewed him for about an hour and wrote a story for Chitralekha. She met him again in 1982 when he was lodged in a Baroda jail. She visited him there and wrote another story, in which he vowed to kill Alamzeb, Karim Lala’s associate.

Bhatt’s most famous interview, however, was with Dawood Ibrahim in 1988, when she flew to Dubai to meet him. She was the only journalist who was granted access to him after he fled India in 1986. She spent three days with him and his family and interviewed him for over six hours. She asked him about his involvement in the drug trade, his links with Pakistan’s ISI, his role in the 1985 Bombay airport attack, and his plans for the future. She also took a photograph with him, which went viral on social media in 2020. She wrote a series of articles based on her interview, which were published in the Indian Express and later compiled into a book titled “Dawood: The Man and the Myth”.

Parents and Siblings

Sheela Bhatt was born in 1962 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. She belongs to a Konkani Muslim family and grew up in the Zadgaon area of Dongri, the same locality where Dawood Ibrahim also lived. She attended Ahmed Sailor High School, where she developed an interest in journalism and writing.

She later graduated from the University of Mumbai with a degree in English literature. She has not revealed much about her parents and siblings, but she has mentioned that her father was a businessman and her mother was a homemaker.

Controversies

Sheela Bhatt has faced several controversies and threats in her journalism career, due to her fearless and daring reporting. She has been accused of having links with the underworld and the politicians, and of being biased and sensationalist. She has also been attacked and injured by the enemies of the people she interviewed. Some of the controversies she has been involved in are:

• In 1979, she was the first journalist to interview Karim Lala, a mafia don of Mumbai, in his hideout. She also exposed the alleged harassment of girls in a government remand home by Karim Lala’s men, which caught the attention of Dawood Ibrahim, who was then a rising criminal.
• In 1984, she interviewed Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the leader of the Khalistan movement, in the Golden Temple, just before Operation Blue Star. She also interviewed the survivors of the anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
• In 1988, she interviewed Dawood Ibrahim in Dubai, which made her a target of the Indian authorities and the rival gangs. She was also accused of being a sympathizer of Dawood and his cause.

• In 1992, she was shot and injured by the men of Arun Gawli, another gangster of Mumbai, who was unhappy with her reporting on his activities. She survived the attack and continued her work.
• In 2002, she was criticized for her coverage of the Gujarat riots, in which she accused the Narendra Modi government of being complicit in the violence. She also interviewed Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat and asked him tough questions about his role and responsibility in the riots.

Nationality, Caste, and Religion

Sheela is an Indian citizen by birth and holds an Indian passport. She belongs to the Konkani Muslim community, which is a minority group in India. She follows Islam as her religion, but she has also shown respect and appreciation for other faiths and cultures. She has written about the diversity and pluralism of India and has advocated for communal harmony and secularism.

Personal Life, Spouse & Kids

Bhatt is married to Kanti Bhatt, a famous writer and columnist, who has written over 45 books in Gujarati and Hindi. They have two children, a son and a daughter, who are both settled abroad.

Sheela Bhatt is active on social media and has over 200,000 followers on Twitter and over 10,000 followers on Instagram. She often shares her views and opinions on various issues and interacts with her fans and followers.

Awards and Recognition

Sheela Bhatt has received several awards and recognition for her journalism and writing. Some of them are:

• Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in 2010, for her contribution to literature and education.
• Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award, in 2007, for her interview with Dawood Ibrahim.
• Chameli Devi Jain Award, in 1992, for her outstanding work as a woman journalist.
• Bharatiya Jnanpith Moortidevi Award, in 1991, for her book “Dawood: The Man and the Myth”.
• Sahitya Akademi Award, in 1989, for her book “Mumbai: The City of Dreams”.

Sheela Bhatt is a journalist who has made a mark in the field of journalism with her fearless and insightful reporting. She has interviewed some of the most powerful and controversial figures in India and abroad, including Dawood Ibrahim, the most wanted terrorist in India. She has also written several books and columns on various topics, such as crime, politics, social issues, and human interest. She is a respected and admired journalist who has inspired many young and aspiring journalists. She is also a recipient of several awards and recognition for her journalism and writing. She is a journalist who has witnessed and chronicled the history of India for over four decades.