Alia Bhatt, who made her acting debut with the Karan Johar directorial ‘Student Of The Year’ in 2012, has solidified her Bollywood stardom over the years. After starring in a string of successful films and making her breakthrough performance last year in ‘Udta Punjab’ which earned her the Filmfare Best Actress trophy, the gorgeous and talented actress is now all set to appear in ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ alongside Varun Dhawan. As she prepares herself for the release of the movie on 10th March, our correspondent, Mohnish Singh catches up with the inspirational actress and finds out more about her film, her rapport with Dhawan and how difficult it is for her to come out of any character.
How was working on Tamma Tamma again?
Firstly, all of us are very nervous, because it is an iconic song. We didn’t want to upset people and mess anything up. We were trying on many things and then Tamma Tamma happened. It has original voices mixed with Baadshah’s rap. Bosco kept that retro feeling with the steps and choreography. Over all vibe was that we were enjoying the song.
Let’s talk about the character you play in ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’.
Shashank is a fantastic writer. He writes things in a way which don’t need many improvisations on the sets. Usually, I have to connect with my characters, but with Vaidehi, she is a very ambitious girl and I could connect with that immediately. She is very forward thinking, despite being a small town girl.
What do you feel is the difference between Vaidehi & Alia?
My relationship with family is more on the grounds of friendship, even though the love is the same, but Vaidehi is different with her family. She has a way to speak with her family, there is a sense of decorum involved when she speaks with her father. Here, I can be very comfortable and behave like my dad is a friend to me. Also, Vaidehi is very comfortable with herself and that I found very wonderful. She is very sure and precise and clear.
Both you and Varun started your career together with ‘Student Of The Year’ in 2012 and ‘BKD’ marks your third film together. How has your relationship with him evolved over the years?
We are like newcomers while we do any movie, we obviously were very nervous and didn’t know what was going on during the shoot of SOTY, but over the years, we have grown to understand one another, we know how to handle one another and we balance each other.
How has Shashank as a director evolved from Humpty to Badri?
He was not happy with a few things after the release of ‘Humpty…’, technicality wise. There were hardly any scale shots in that movie, but here almost in every scene we had scale shots. Also, talking about the song, every track has something to offer and has a new feeling. Humpty is naïve film, Badri is more mature.
How have you evolved as an actress in these many years?
I am learning at every stage. What I recently learnt is I have to unlearn everything and this advice has been given to me by Shah Rukh, because when you start learning things, you become repetitive. All the tricks that I have used, I am learning to unlearn that, so that there is newness in everything that I do.
Has it ever been that it becomes tough for you to come out of the character?
That was with just one film, Highway. I didn’t let it happen after that. I got so much into the role that I didn’t want to do acting after that and go and live in mountains. I had a good deep talk with my father regarding it and now I make sure I don’t get into my character this deep when I am off sets.
How do you deal with the stress before your movie releases?
Very strangely, the last time my movie was releasing, Dear Zindagi, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was very cool and chilled out. I was not sure of anything. What I have realized is that a good film will always do well, also, I believe in my films. I am only stressed one day before a film releases that is why I always tell my team to keep me busy a day prior to the film’s release.
How important are Box Office numbers to you?
Box office numbers has become very frivolous term. Here we are talking about numbers and not what the numbers represent. The longevity of the film also matters. People talk about my films and that is what matters to me. Also, Box Office numbers equal to the love people have given us by going to the theatre and watching our movie.
How do you choose your roles?
It’s not like I am sitting here with a chart. It’s more of me fulfilling my centres, and not the external centres. I should be able to do everything, why not!
Is there anything that holds your interest in any particular genre that you want to do?
There are so many things that I haven’t done. I have not done an action film, or a period drama or a biopic. Talking about what holds my interests, I can’t really answer that because it is all about the stories now. There are stories and films which can’t be classified in any genre. But I know I want to produce a movie and hopefully I will do that soon.
‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ releases today.
