'I'm sick of being compared to Kareena.' - Alia

She's all of 20 but talks like a 60-year-old veteran. Blame it on her genes but her confidence and maturity are way higher than your average debutante's. She's got the looks and the oomph to reach the top. She has shown glimpses of that in her first film Student Of The Year where she sashayed (in five inch heels, no less) as a giddy teenager caught in the first throes of love. Her natural ease in front of the camera fired the imagination of maverick filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who cast her as the will-of-the-wisp Veera in Highway. Hers is a transition from a chirpy girl to a gutsy woman through the course of the film, a bravura performance, which has established Alia as an actor, a star. Truly, the caterpillar has gone through the chrysalis and taken wings...

She's all set to fly in upcoming films like 2 States, where she plays a modern Tam Bram girl and the romcom Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, where she's set to showcase her lighter side. In between, she's also battling the rumours of her alleged affair with Arjun Kapoor and the other perks/side-effects of stardom. Presenting an interview with the bubblicious Bhatt next door, who is as sassy as her father Mahesh Bhatt and sister Pooja...

You've garnered much praise for your performance in Highway...
Highway is special. It feels nice when people notice the hard work that has been put into the performance. I'm thrilled that close friends and associates have liked the film. But I'll only be satisfied once the audience loves it. I'veinvested a lot in my character - Veera Tripathi. I can probably point out three scenes where
I have been fake but otherwise I've given my heart and soul to it.

You showed the film to Varun Dhawan too...
He's a close friend and his opinion matters. He said that I'll win a National Award for this performance. He's just too sweet.

How important is box-office success?
It's obviously important. But I'm not expecting the film to earn '100 crores. I just want the audience to like me in the film.

Veera in Highway goes through many emotional changes; did you change as a person too?
Yes. I don't consider Highway to be just a film; it has been a transition, a life-changing experience. I became so much more comfortable with myself while doing it. By the end of the film I could sleep under a tree, eat my lunch alone facing the mountains. I can be like Shanaya from SOTY when I go partying with my girls but I'm more like Veera from Highway, who sits with one leg up while she eats. Also, I had never seen India at a stretch. With Highway, I travelled from Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh to Kashmir. I've seen the weather change. I've seen a cow become a yak. I've seen the style of dressing change. The most prominent aspect of my journey were the women of the country. They work in the fields, walk in the hills, cut wood and do all things possible under the sun. I was so inspired.

Your first film Student Of The Year (SOTY) was so much different from Highway...
Actually, both films were hard to approach. In SOTY, it was difficult being the fashionista. Walking with those 5 inch heels was so difficult. I didn't know how to carry a clutch stylishly. I'm not like that at all. And Highway was difficult in a different way. It was physically and emotionally exhausting. The film was a journey that I had to experience.

What's the difference between working with Karan Johar and Imtiaz Ali?
Their working styles are completely different. But their passion for the movies is the same. The only difference is that Karan watches the scene on the monitor and Imtiaz prefers to see it live.

How was it working with Randeep Hooda?
Initially, I was nervous because I knew he's a damn good actor. We didn't talk much in the beginning but we got along well. He acts as if he is younger than me so I pull his leg all the time. He would ask for random advice making big puppy eyes. He's hard on the outside but inside he's like a baby. He's a great guy.

Were you hesitant about the no make-up look?
I had no inhibitions. I was cool with it. Actually, I like having make-up on screen, it makes my skin look pretty and lips fresh and pink. But here I wanted to look as raw as possible. And if this works then that would mean that I'm pretty.

Next up you have 2 States...
That's a different zone altogether. I'm playing an interesting character (Ananya). She's a feminist; opinionated, steady and a correct person.

Did you take any Tamil diction classes?
I did but most of the time I was mugging up dialogue on set. Ananya is not a Tamilian caricature. She's not likeDeepika Padukone in Chennai Express. She's a modern day Tam Bram. She speaks Tamil fluently only with her family.

How was it working with Arjun Kapoor?
He's extremely funny. I love spending time with him.

You guys walked the Filmfare Pre-Awards party red carpet together...
That was a coincidence, ya! For some reason we always end up walking red carpets together. I told him this time too it would happen. And it did. So we posed together. And then the media wanted to take our interview together. I'm not going to do that. He's not my husband.

So you're single?
Yes! It's not like I'm consciously single and hitting boys away with a bat. It's just that no one interesting enough has come my way who will love me. I'm just waiting and not thinking about it.

s love your priority?
No. I'm not 29 and planning to get married. I'm still 20. During holidays I get lonely, upset and sad. But that doesn't mean I go hunting for a guy just because I want to have a good time. I have to take it as it comes.

When you see so many crumbling relationships around you, does it make you sceptical?
No! When you want to make a relationship work, you'll make it work no matter what. Relationships will have their ups and downs; it's got nothing to do with the industry. It's just highlighted because we're in the limelight. It's not like if one star breaks up I'll fear, Oh God, even my love story will end up that way.'

What's your idea of love?
The normal clichs! My guy should be my best friend. I should completely be able to be myself with him. He should love me for who I am.


Are you okay hooking up with someone in the industry?
Of course! If you click with someone, what will you do? You're not dating the person because of his profession!

But the industry comes with a lot of hang-ups. Hectic schedules, insecurity issues...
I'm not insecure. Maybe, I'm speaking too soon. If you're doing the same thing then how can you have a problem with someone else doing it? Hypothetically, I'll be okay if my boyfriend romances an actress on screen. But if that happens in reality then I don't know how I'll react!

Your dad Mahesh Bhatt recently mentioned that he's been spending more time with you ever since you became an actress...
Now we have a common ground. We hang out more because of that. He's interested in what I'm doing. He was excited about SOTY and he used to sing and dance to the movie tunes. He likes that I get over worked and exhausted.

He doesn't give you any advice?
No. He leaves it to me. After SOTY, I wrote in his diary, Thanks Dad for not helping me at all.' Recently, he's noticed that I've got a lot of kids as my fans and he asks me to keep that in mind when I choose my films.

When you returned after months of shooting for Highway, you organised a family dinner...
That's nothing great. When I'm away, I miss them a lot. I guess being away from the family gives you perspective. You realise their worth. They are the people who matter the most. And whatever time you get with them, you should make the most of it.

You've been vocal about your insecurity about Parineeti Chopra...
A lot of people don't know that Parineeti and I good friends. We hang out, talk on the phone sometimes. Insecurity is just a great form of flattery. She's fantastic and she knows that. When I watch her on screen, I'm like her fan. There's no rivalry.

Oh ya on KwK it was obvious that she was pissed off. 😆

Imagine, how Meryl Streep will react when she hears whom she has been compared with!😆

I hope she remains a kacchi khiladi. 😆

One Bebo is more than enough. 🤣