Alia Bhatt: Shraddha is more successful than me

Alia Bhatt

For decades, Bollywood has been characterised by actresses starting out as friends, and turning bitter rivals. As a result, gossip mills have thrived on catfights and competition. But now, it's believed that these are a thing of the past because the younger crop of actresses go all out to maintain friendships. Case in point is the affection Alia Bhatt has for Shraddha Kapoor. Both the divas come from filmi families and started their careers around the same time. They are often pitted against each other in press.

But according to Alia, there is no competition. "I don't see any rat race between us, so I find it unnecessary when people say that I have gone ahead. In fact, Shraddha has delivered more Rs 100 crore films than I have. So technically, she has been more successful at the box office," says Alia.

The actress says she shares a close bond with Shraddha. "I am fond of her and Parineeti [Chopra]. We are all doing well professionally. We are close and fond of each other's work. They have always inspired me. So I would only take joy when their films do well."

Shraddha Kapoor

The 23-year-old likes to stay updated about her contemporaries' work. "It's not like I read about their work on my phone every morning, but I'm aware, and there's nothing wrong in that. We are all in an encouraging, friendly and positive space," she explains.

Alia is excited about her next, 'Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya', in which she plays a small-town girl. "Vaidehi [her character] is lively and fiery. She wears her heart on her sleeve and is an ambitious girl. At the same time, she is sensitive towards her family. Certain experiences in life have made her bitter, so she isn't thrilled when she receives attention from Badri [Varun Dhawan's character]. I had a lot of fun working on the movie," says Alia.