Alia Bhatt: Shah Rukh Khan is a people's person and he makes you feel so special!
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Alia Bhatt opens up about Shaandaar, Shahid Kapoor, working with SRK in Gauri Shinde's next and more!
My first meeting with Alia Bhatt turns out to be pretty enlightening. I meet her thinking she will be a giggly girl who will hardly make interesting copy, but end up being pleasantly surprised by her intelligence and astuteness. Reams of memes have been created on the young actress, she's definitely not the "GK-IQ-less bimbette" she's made out to be. All of 22 years, Alia clearly knows her mind and what she is talking about. Her replies to my queries are short, concise and to-the-point. making her very different from her father Mahesh Bhatt. But despite being an old soul' as she calls herself, the child in her peeks out once in a while reminding us that she's just still very young.
When Vikas Bahl came to you with the script of Shaandaar, had you seen Queen?
(Interrupts) Vikas (Bahl) didn't come to me with a script but with five lines of Shaandaar. The story between two insomniacs that caught my attention because it isn't something that we haven't really touched upon. And then it was about a destination wedding and a few other things that hooked me to the film. This seemed like a world I would like to be a part of. And then he said that he would write the rest and come back to me. But by then, I was doing it. I loved Vikas's energy, his vibe and the world that he was trying to create.
Wearing a bikini in a film (which she has done in Shaandaar) is a big deal. Did you need convincing?
Vikas had told me before that there's a scene on the beach where I would be given a bikini to wear. I went crazy working on my body for it. We didn't even know then what the shot was going to be, but when he saw me working out for it then Vikas said, Okay, now I have to shoot it nicely.'
Did you feel you had to look the hottest in a bikini?
I knew I had to look fit in a bikini. I just wanted to look good in it so I worked out twice a day, followed a diet, did weight training and pilates. I gave it my all because I wanted to look good.
Have you ever battled insomnia ever?
I haven't, but my sister Shaheen has. She is an insomniac. Sometimes, she doesn't sleep for weeks as it's very difficult for her. I have seen her struggling through it. But since Shaandaar is all about fun, it's about getting the fun out of the situation and not dealing with it on a serious level. Yes, insomnia can get really stressful, but you can think about what you can do all night when the whole world is sleeping? When the moon is your new sun and the night is your new day what can we do? It's a whole fun, quirky way of defining romance.
When you can't sleep in real life at night what do you do?
I have a trick my mum (Soni Razdan) taught me. Take a black board, split it into half with a chalk, write 100 on one side and rub it off. Write 99 on the other side and rub it off. Like keep counting backwards till you reach 77, then start once again. It's a neat trick that never fails to put me to sleep. Another thing that can really put you to sleep is cashew milk. Make a milkshake out of cashew without sugar. It is very good for you. I have tried it and it's worked.
Who's your 3 am friend?
I have two " Ayan (Mukerji) and Abhishek Varman, my director of Two States. Of course, both go to sleep early as I do, so we don't get to talk that often late at night. I don't have this habit of chatting late into the night but I know if I ever need them at 2-3 am they will always be there " to share or talk about something.
How did you break the ice with Shahid Kapoor on the first day?
We never really had much work to do on the first day. We broke the ice when we were taking horse-riding classes together, along with his brother Ishaan, in UK. While doing that, the three of us would often land up at a caf and have a cup of coffee. Shahid says we got friendly pretty quickly and just took us three-four days, but I think it took us at least a week or so.
Who's more talkative?
I am, but Shahid can be as talkative as me when he gets to know someone well. And he opened up to me. In fact, he's the first actor I have actually gotten along with so much on the set. Shahid was very sweet and took good care of me. When we went to UK, I was completely unprepared for the cold. One day on the sets I was shivering with cold when he put his nice, thick green-coloured, Canada Goose jacket (cost '50,000 approx) around me. I loved it as it kept me warm and cosy. After shooting, I returned it to him. The next day, he knocked at my door and gave me the same jacket so I told him, That's so sweet, you have given me your jacket... you don't need it?' He just smiled and went away. Till I saw him wearing the same jacket on the sets. So he went and bought me the same jacket and gifted it to me. It was a very thoughtful gesture. So, on the set we were called Beavis And Butthead (an American animated sitcom based on two socially incompetent, rock-loving teenage wannabe delinquents) from then on.
Shahid says you never answer his calls and whenever he dials your number it's always busy. What's the one habit of Shahid that drives you up the wall?
Has he said this? (Thinks hard) I don't remember this at all. One habit of his I feel is that Shahid is too hard on himself. He's always questioning himself. I keep telling him Shahid, just shut up and enjoy it! What's wrong with you? Stop getting into it endlessly!'
Shahid's family is with him in Shaandaar. Would you like to do a film with Pooja Bhatt and your other siblings?
Shahid's family (father Pankaj and sister Sanah) is literally playing my family in the film! (Laughs) Of course, I would love to do a film with my family, but everything has to happen naturally. Like Shahid working and acting with his family happened very organically. I would want that to work with me. Like whether it's working with my mum, sister or father it should all happen organically including the script and our roles. We don't need to do a film together just because we want to work together or we are in the same business. It doesn't work like that.
You come from a family of writers. Have you ever penned anything?
I am not a good writer. I can express very well but I can't put that into words. I don't want to. I write for myself and more for fun. I scribble down my feelings in a diary "not every day because sometimes I am too tired, but I try to whenever I can. No one reads my diary except myself. It's not locked away in my house or anything... I trust my housemaids not to ever read my diaries (laughs). I have never written a story or anything but then again... never say never.
Do you consciously select films in a way that if you sign a commercial film then the next will be an offbeat one which will challenge the actress in you?
Of course! But I need to get that opportunity also, which I got with Udta Punjab. I can say I need to sign certain films but there have to be those kinds of films going around also.
You have signed your first movie with Shah Rukh Khan. What's your first memory with him?
I met him for the first time when my dad took me to his house once when a couple of relatives had come from Pakistan and they wanted to meet Shah Rukh. I remember he was very warm, charming, talkative, gave us lots of sandwiches and Coca Cola to drink. I must have eaten some 15 sandwiches just sitting and staring at him. What I really gathered from Shah Rukh is that he's a people's person and he makes you feel so special. That's one quality that you as an actor, celebrity and superstar really admire. As a fellow actor and audience I really admire the way he is with his fans " so much warmth and love " that is commendable. His charisma is magic!
While senior actresses today are doing films with younger heroes, you are reversing the trend.
The story is king. That's all that matters. Let's make the story the centre of attention and then we will take it from there. For me nothing else but the story/script is important. I like to carve my own path, I don't follow trends (smiles), have the herd mentality. We should never do that. How boring! To follow the leader... I am very selective. I don't want to burn out. I don't want to do a film just for the sake of doing it. I will sit at home for six months and not do a film if I haven't got a film that I want to do.
Wouldn't that make you insecure?
Insecurity is there, but it can be curbed. I think I go too much by my instinct which will not allow me to do a film for the sake of it. It hasn't let me down till now. I have done all my films based on my instinct and even if it did it's okay now as long as I know it's my instinct and not a calculated decision.
Do you consult anybody after reading a script?
Karan (Johar), my manager Reshma (Shetty), and at home I discuss it with my sister, but the final decision is mine.
Do you see yourself acting with Salman, Hrithik, Akshay, Aamir?
Why not? I want to do an out-and-out romantic song with Salman " the more romantic the better!
Do you look at it as a hindrance that you can't romance SRK, Salman, Hrithik, Akshay, Aamir?
No. I am okay with scripts that don't have me romancing them. The idea is not do a romantic film but to do a film and play a character and be a part of a world that exists on screen which you make come to life with yourself. So it's not about romance but about doing a good film.
Who or what is your biggest strength?
Myself. I draw strength from myself. The moment you start depending on other people you stop leading an independent life. I try and depend on myself the most. Obviously one's family is one aspect that one can take for granted (laughs) " they are always there.
Do you feel sometimes that you are growing up far too quickly?
I do feel that sometimes but then I also have a huge childlike side to me which will always be there. I am also an old soul... (says matter-of-factly)
Do you get time to do all the things that you want to do?
Not entirely, I miss things like walking on the road or going to many places that I would go to earlier. My favourite restaurants have changed and become more high-end now... Like those particular addas I used to go to, I can't now... I still can't go and sit in a coffee shop as it gets crazy but I am loving my life and no complaints whatsoever!
When was the last time you went to a theatre to see a film?
Oh, it's been forever and I want to go! I love going to the theatres and watching films. So many new films have released, which I am dying to see at the theatre. I do go to theatres occasionally, but it's been awhile. I may have a mild Attention Deficit Disorder but otherwise I am quite focused.
What's the one thing about your job that you dislike?
I can't be as honest as I want to be. Sometimes you want to say things, but you can't. I am forthright, but then I also try to be a little correct about what I say. Many times, a lot of sentiments are involved. I am also someone whose opinions change from time to time. I am worried about other things now. Currenly for me, health is more internal than external. It's about how fit I am internally, or how my skin is looking or hair feels, what my energy level is at the end of the day, how I feel getting up early in the morning, I like waking up at 7 am today and sleeping at 10.30 pm. I have always been an early riser but it's a routine I want to follow.
If there's one thing about yourself you could change what would that be?
I think I should learn to be more graceful (grins). That's something I need to be and I am working on that through pilates.
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