Alia Bhatt, who is currently busy with the promotions of her upcoming film Darlings, which is also her maiden project as a producer, revealed the inspiration behind her production venture. In an event organised by The Indian Express, the actor also spoke about her Hollywood debut Heart of Stone, her most challenging role so far, and more.
Here are a few things that Alia shared during her conversation at the event:
Alia’s Production House Was Inspired by a Film
The Raazi actor revealed that the name of her production house Eternal Sunshine Productions was inspired by one of her favourite films, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Alia added, "There's something about the word 'eternal' and 'sunshine' that I feel, is what cinema means to me me. I believe cinema is eternal, and sunshine brings you warmth, happiness, a fuzzy feeling in your heart. I think that's the contribution that cinema has had in my life. So, I just felt the words fit."
‘Gangubai’ Was Alia’s Most Challenging Role
When Alia was questioned about the most challenging role that she's played so far in her films, she said that it was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai. She shared that it was the toughest role for her after Udta Punjab. The Highway actor further added, "It was beacause I realised that here I had to give an extrememly genuine performance from the heart. But I also had to play it very front-foot. Because it also had to be entertaining. It was all based on this one character — her style, the energy, the way you are delivering the lines, the way you're lighting the beedi, and the way you are sitting. It's really hard to do all of that and also be genuine and commited to it."
Alia’s Response to the Trolls Calling Her ‘Dumb'
When the actor was reminded of the time she was constantly trolled for not knowing the name of the President of India, she had a befitting response for the same. Alia said, "I love it when people think that I'm unintelligent or dumb. They make so many memes on me which adds to the popularity. I also want to put out a message to the young girls, that general knowledge book-intelligence, in my opinion, is not intelligence. That is a part of the layer. But actually, to survive in this world you need to have a certain emotional intelligence, which is possibly the highest form of intelligence."
Alia Talks About Her Hollywood Debut ‘Heart of Stone'
When Alia was asked about her experience working in Hollywood and the stereotypical representation of Indians in most English films, the actor shared that things have changed now. She added, "I didn't have to put on an accent. They just wanted me to speak in my normal accent. I'm not wearing any ethnic patchwork clothes just beacause I'm some girl from India. There's no such thing." She further said that there's a need to see a whole range of people on screen. And that everbody should be able to relate to the characters when they're seeing a film.
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