Alia Bhatt on ‘Raazi’: “I was afraid of losing the film to someone else”

Alis Bhatt who is currently in the midst of promoting her next, in Meghna Gulzar’s ‘Raazi’, has shared that she was afraid the film would have been offered to another actress.

Reported on TOI, Bhatt explains that up until the point she actually signed for the film, she thought she would lose the role, but it all worked out in the end. “I am very happy that the film came to me and I didn’t want the story of the film to reach any other actress in Bollywood. I still remember the day when Meghna had narrated the story to me, I was waiting for her to call me back since then. I used to ask my manager about the status of the film and she used to revert back saying that Meghnaji is still writing the script,” said Bhatt who further added, “In the middle, I felt that I have lost the film as there were many rumours making rounds. The plot of the film is so good that I was afraid of losing it to someone else.”

The ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ (2017) star was asked how ‘Raazi’ was different to past patriotic films, to which Bhatt replied, “‘Raazi’ is different from other patriotic films as the film is based on a real-life story. I play the role of Sehmat in the film who is young and innocent. She is stuck in a situation from where she can neither go back nor run away, due to which she goes ahead slowly so that she can do something for her country.”

The ‘Dear Zindagi’ (2017) actress also opened up about the struggles she faced whilst shooting for ‘Raazi’. “I am essaying the character of Sehmat, who has different shades to her character, that of a wife, who is also a spy. “…”I take all my films and the characters that I portray in them as a challenge. I get afraid when I start a new film, but by the end of it I feel satisfied and the process continues like this with another film. All characters are challenging to me and until now Sehmat was a challenge for me but now my new character in ‘Kalank’ is what I am tensed about.”

Speaking about her bond with her father Mahesh Bhatt, the ‘2 States’ (2014) actress says, “We never talk about the films until they release. But after the release, he tells me about where I could have improved. On the other hand, in the personal level, we have just turned friends. We don’t get much time due to professional commitments but he does visit the sets to meet me. He pings me before if he can come on the sets to meet me even if it’s for 10 minutes.”

Bhatt shares her experience working with Gulzar, saying, “She is a very simple, clear and a detailed director, which is the reason why everything is clear in her work. I was astonished to see her film ‘Talvar’ as it looked like a documentary and looked so realistic. She has an eye for detail and being the daughter of Gulzar sir and Rakhi ma’am, her working style is well defined.”

Also starring Vicky Kaushal in the lead opposite Bhatt, ‘Raazi’ is slated to release on 11th May 2018.