Ali Bhatt is Bollywood’s next best thing and her performance in Dear Zindagi has proved that. Her refreshing approach to her characters, and her ability to slip into them with the ease of a seasoned trouper, has made her a rage at age 23. Far from being complacent, Alia constantly seeks new challenges for herself. She had promised to give me her first interview after the release of the Gauri Shinde film, and here we are-
Q: What is the best praise you’ve received for Dear Zindagi?
Alia Bhatt: You know, I believe it’s unfair to pick one compliment over another. It’s like choosing one flower from a bouquet. It’s not fair to pick, as everyone is precious. Everyone’s praise is genuine and heartfelt and precious. There are people calling to say they don’t know what to say, because they’re sure I’ve already heard everything there is to hear in terms of praise. But I want to tell people, bring it on. I can never get enough of compliments.
Q: So no highpoint in the excursion of encomium?
Alia Bhatt: There was a highpoint actually. My father, who was unwell and had high fever, braved the screening of my film because Javed Akhtar saab had called and praised my performance.
Q: Shabana says you decided at the age of three to be an actress?
Alia Bhatt: Yes, I was pretty clear and vocal from a very young age about wanting to be an actress. I made it clear to everyone I hung out with when I was child.
Q: What does it feel like to be the youngest superstar in the country?
Alia Bhatt: Am I? I don’t think about it. If I did, I’d probably not do anything else. Basking in what’s already done is not my scene. I’d rather look ahead.
Q: Correct me if I am wrong, but the kind of acclaim you’ve received for Dear Zindagi has been unparalleled, right?
Alia Bhatt: You are not wrong there. I did get a lot of praise for Udta Punjab. But this is on another level. It’s very heartwarming. I am getting a lot of love for Dear Zindagi.
I didn’t expect this. Actually, one doesn’t a do a film with expectations of acclaim. It does’t work that way. One’s performance would be straining for effect, and it’ll be defeating the purpose of the performance. I won’t pretend. It does feel good. Happy is too self-limiting a word to describe how I feel. I am grateful. The praise inspires me to do better work.
Q: Is it scary to consider your next step? Where will you go from Dear Zindagi?
Alia Bhatt: There is always a ‘next’. I remember you and my father asking the same thing after Highway . But the opportunities did come to me. I’d call it luck, but I really don’t know what that is.
I look out for opportunities, and they also seem to be coming to me. Not that I’ve set goals and targets for myself. I find that very boring. But for Udta Punjab, I really put in my job application with the team. Because they would not have otherwise known that I was interested in something like this.
Q: Are you as impulsive as Kaira?
Alia Bhatt: Not to that extent. But what I love about her is that she’s flawed. People have connected with Kaira’s flaws. My house-help loved Kaira.
I think women in our films must be given the freedom to be flawed. Men have been allowed that liberty for too long. Kaira is flawed, that the audiences have a hard time liking about her. Audiences find bad boys attractive. But the bad girl isn’t attractive in the same way. I wish that would change. In our subtle way we’ve reversed the gender bias. Kaira is not the quintessential good girl. She’s at times irrational, rude, impatient , selfish…. But we’ve all gone through these phases in life, when we are far from perfect people.
Q: Speaking of Kaira’s house-help in Dear Zindagi, do you also share a special bond with yours in real life?
Alia Bhatt: My staff is essential to my existence. I wouldn’t know what to do without them. They are basically an extension of my personality. I believe the people around you define your personality.
Q: How difficult was it for you to sit still and listen to Shah Rukh Khan pontificate on life?
Alia Bhatt: When it’s Shah Rukh Khan, it doesn’t require any effort. One just listens. I wasn’t distracted even for a second. In any case, I don’t think about other things when I’m shooting.
Q: What is your takeaway from the experience of working with Shah Rukh?
Alia Bhatt: Warmth. He is good to everyone. And he doesn’t have to labour over it. I now realize he isn’t the king of romance for nothing. He imparts a genuine bonhomie. He emits love.
Q: He has a tough time dealing with his loss of privacy. Do you see yourself feeling the same ten years from now?
Alia Bhatt: I don’t think that far ahead. I don’t even internalize the present too much. People ask what I feel about achieving so much at such a young age. But I don’t think about it. Even now, when people invade my privacy, poke and annoy, I don’t lose my cool.
Q: Have you ever lost your cool in public?
Alia Bhatt: No. I have a fierce temper. I wouldn’t like to lose it in public. Because things get really out of hand when I am angry.
Q: What next?
Alia Bhatt: I want to keep trying new things. Like right now, I want to do an out-and-out comedy. I want to do total slapstick… slipping on banana peels, cake on my face, the works.
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