Alia Bhatt is probably the only actress in Bollywood who has delivered so many hits even before she turned 23. On one hand she has managed to entertain the masses with flicks like Student Of The Year, 2 States, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Kapoor & Sons, and on the other she has also won the critics over with brilliant performances in films like Highway and Udta Punjab.
Excerpts from an interview:
How much of Kaira, your character in Dear Zindagi, is there in Alia Bhatt?
Usually it's not important for you to be like your character in real life, but interestingly I relate a lot to Kaira's character. It's not because I relate to her that I chose the part. I chose Dear Zindagi because of the uniqueness of its story and the tone of the film. But I slowly figured out how much I related to her.
Kaira is very impulsive just like me. She loves eating crazy food items like Soya Chakli - which even I enjoy in real life. She loves her friends. She is a way better friend than she is a girlfriend, which I have been telling about myself all my life. She is extremely passionate about her work and so am I. So these are the little things that make me a lot like Kaira.
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You portray a cinematographer in the movie. Did you take tips from anybody?
I had to be very much into my character as Kaira is someone who is really well versed with her job. She maybe young, but she knows what she is doing is perfect. She is very confident of herself. So yes, I learned physical techniques as opposed to getting really into learning the craft of a cinematographer. If I start learning then it would have taken me a really long time to get it perfect. You either learn with experience or you study about it. I didn't have that much time for either.
Your song Ae Zindagi Gale Laga Le has been getting mixed reviews. Do you think old classic numbers should be recreated?
When a song really resembles what your character is, or the ethos that you are trying to portray via your character in a film, it makes more sense to recreate it and try to bring it back to life. I think we are just trying to pay homage to the song by recreating it, not necessarily to better it.
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You were cast before Shah Rukh Khan for Dear Zindagi. What was your instant reaction?
I was really shocked and surprised. Not because I didn't think this is his kind of film. I was just too glad that he made a move like this. It's a very cool move to make and once you all see the film you will get to know why I am saying so.
Whenever you do an intense film like Highway or Udta Punjab, do you make sure that the next project you pick up is a light-hearted one?
Nothing was planned or thought about. In fact, it just kind of happened by chance. You can call it luck or the way things panned out. I just chose films that I really liked and they happened to release in that order.
There have been a lot of rumours doing the rounds that Ali Zafar's character has been replaced in the Dear Zindagi?
The cast remains unchanged.
Do you think demonetization might affect the BO numbers of Dear Zindagi?
I really hope not. I know it's a tough time right now. But I hope things do settle down. I believed even then that it will take some time for things to settle down. And if it doesn't happen, then please book the tickets to my movie online.
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When will we see you in a Bhatt film?
I am eagerly waiting to do a Bhatt film. And hopefully it will happen soon. Right now, there are some talks going on about a project, but nothing concrete.
Anything apart from Badrinath Ki Dulhania that you have on your plate right now?
Next year I am doing Dragon. There are a few other projects, which I can't really talk about right now.