Bhatt was one of the few celebrities from Bollywood who visited Jiah’s house when her body was found hanging from a ceiling fan. At the trailer launch of his upcoming film The Dark Side of Life: Mumbai City, the director-producer recalled that Jiah had approached him for work before committing suicide but he couldn’t be of any help.

“Jiah Khan once came to us asking for work but that time, somehow, we were not able to work with her, but later when she committed suicide and we visited her house, it felt really bad,” he said.
A 16-year-old Jiah Khan had walked out of Mahesh Bhatt-produced Tumsa Nahin Dekha: A Love Story after the crew reportedly gave a weird reaction on her appearance as she slipped into a swimsuit for a scene in the film.

Talking about the need for generating awareness about mental illness, Bhatt said, “It's a form of mental illness and it can be treated. When you suffer with diabetes then, you have to take insulin shots. Similarly, when you are prone towards depression then you need to consult a doctor who can treat you through medication but, I think in our country, we are lacking in generating awareness about mental illness. Almost in every household people are suffering from depression.”
Talking about the need for generating awareness about mental illness, Bhatt said, “It's a form of mental illness and it can be treated. When you suffer with diabetes then, you have to take insulin shots. Similarly, when you are prone towards depression then you need to consult a doctor who can treat you through medication but, I think in our country, we are lacking in generating awareness about mental illness. Almost in every household people are suffering from depression.”
“She also came to a point of attempting a suicide at the age of 12-13 so, this is the truth of my own house. Jiah Khan once came to us asking for work but that time somehow, we were not able to work with her, but later when she committed suicide and we visited her house it felt really bad,” he added.