^*Udta Punjab~Shahid-Alia-Bebo-Diljit~Updates Thread*^ - Page 45

In the pipeline...

Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt talk about why they signed their upcoming release Udta Punjab

Nayandeep Rakshit

The trailer of Udta Punjab releases today. The film is about the increasing dependency on drugs among the youth of Punjab. The movie directed by Abhishek Chaubey, is inspired by an investigative article in a national magazine. The report was based on a study that said Punjab's opioid dependents are four times more than the global average.

However, the film has been more in the news for featuring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan, even though they haven't shot together for a single scene. In fact, Kareena is paired with Diljit Dosanjh, while Shahid plays a rockstar. The first look of the actors, which was circulated recently, created a lot of buzz on social networking websites.

Here's what Shahid, Kareena and Alia have to say about their next release.

Kareena Kapoor Khan

They couldn't reach me'

Her last release was Ki & Ka, a fun and frothy rom-com. Udta Punjab is in a completely different space altogether. She affirms, "The premise is different. I play a doctor in the drug drama. While Ki & Ka was a novel and bold concept, Udta Punjab is an intense film. The milieu is very different." She reveals how she was cast in the film, saying, "I think they tried calling me, but I was out of town so they got in touch with Karan (Johar) and told him that I fit the bill perfectly for this film. I heard the script and liked the idea. It was more interesting than the films I had been listening to, so I picked up this role. But I think everyone in Udta Punjab has fantastic roles. It is a career-defining role for Shahid, Alia and even Diljit. And my track with Diljit in the film is good."

Alia Bhatt

It was not even offered to me

She was last seen in Kapoor & Sons, the story of a dysfunctional Punjabi family. She plays the happy-go-lucky girl-next-door better than anyone else. Although Alia was just as great in Highway, her commercial hits are so pronounced that one wonders if the audience wants to see her in a film with a dark subject. Alia says, "Udta Punjab was not even offered to me. No one, including the director thought that I will do the film, so he did not come to me with it. Shahid gave me the script to read. He asked me, Tell me what you think of it'. I read it and fell in love with the film. That's how it happened," she tells us. Alia adds that there is definitely a conscious effort to balance it out'. when it comes to the kind of roles she wants to do. "I don't want to be known only as a pretty face. That's not what I am here for," she asserts.

Shahid Kapoor

I wanted this film to happen'

He was the first person to be cast in this drug-drama. And he hopes to bring about a change in the industry with Udta Punjab. "Today, people are veering towards roles that will get the numbers. With Udta Punjab, I hope things change. It definitely is a risky movie, but the way Abhishek has shot the film, it's a risk that has paid off. More than anything, it's a very passionate project for me. I was so blown away by the world that Abhishek was planning to create that despite all odds, I wanted this film to happen," Shahid says. And he, too, had his fair share of problems, along with the director. That of finding the right cast and then convincing them to take the film up. "It's a difficult film to be cast. Initially, I thought no one would like to risk this one. But then again, it has turned out really well. And we got the perfect cast for the film," he adds.