When Alia Bhatt shared how she landed Udta Punjab

“Imtiaz was thinking of going with an older woman. He bumped into me at a screening, and I was very actively pursuing him. I gave him a vibe that was genuine and heartfelt. And Imtiaz Ali offering me a film, after Rockstar and Jab We Met, of course, was a big moment for me. I read the script, and was like, okay, tough, tough, tough… I don’t pay anyone to take me in their movies, in case anybody was trying to sell that narrative. I think dedication sells on the top of the pyramid, and then come the rest. Talent is secondary, hard work is number one”

When she confessed to being a Govinda fan

Ever since she can remember, Bhatt had always wanted to be an actor. As an audience, as she described it, she was a “runty thing”, watching all of Govinda’s No 1 films in the front row of Juhu’s Chandan cinema: “I was like, mujhe Govinda banna hai!”

Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted to make 'Balika Vadhu' with Alia Bhatt

“We did costume rehearsals, look-tests. I went ahead and danced on Dola re dola and all of that. Ghoom phirke, I don’t know what happened. I went back to school. Sir decided not to make the film. But the keeda of working with him remained stuck in my head. When I joined the movies, I was told Sir only works with actors at their prime. I knew once that happens, I’ll get the chance.” 

Bhansali described how Bhatt had stormed out of the director’s office

“Sir exaggerates a little bit. He said she ran out of the office. He was not wrong. I did get a little thrown off with the subject, because we were supposed to do another film [Inshallah, a romance, with Salman Khan, that got shelved]. So I was like, you know Sir, it is a very different subject. Totally different from what I had imagined. I need to digest it for a second, but it was a no-brainer [to accept the offer].”

Alia Bhatt on how she handles finances

At what age did Bhatt buy her first car? “At 19-20; Audi Q5.” First home? “At 21. But listen, I feel very touched and grateful for the privileges. That’s why I believe in giving back, I have set aside a certain amount of money that goes into CSR on a yearly basis, for animals [rights, protection], that I feel very passionately about.” What did she get paid for her big Bollywood debut, SOTY? “R15 lakh. I deposited the cheque straight to my mother and very nicely said, ‘Mamma, you handle the money. Till date, my mother handles my money.” Where does she invest her money — I’m just curious, having never met someone as rich through their 20s, with an income/earning that is totally theirs? “In fact my CA, who’s also a family friend gets stressed out — that I don’t spend any money, don’t invest, that I need to enjoy a little bit. But I am not much of a spender.”

Alia Bhatt on her love-life

“Contrary to the character in Darlings, I don’t have a list. I have never had a plan. In fact, I used to think I will get married very late. I was one of those girls, who didn’t really talk about marriage much. But it is totally different, when you fall deeply in love, and you also feel like, okay, no, you want to get into that next point of your life. That happened very naturally with Ranbir [Kapoor]. I don’t know why. It just happened. And I am not feeling like my work will stop, pause, or change. I will continue to work till the very end. But that [raising a family] section of your life is something that you have to give your time and energy to. It is not going to happen by itself.”

Her equation with Ranbir Kapoor

“It is beautiful how it naturally worked out when we started working together on Brahmastra. For the longest time, we were socially meeting each other. But we had our own lives. There was no interaction, nothing. There was not even a friendship. I could not even call Ranbir a friend. But it naturally happened on that one flight to Tel Aviv, when we both were not seeing anybody. Both of us were single. Both of us were like, ‘Oh my God, what were we doing all these years?’ ‘Why aren’t we together?’ It was a question he kinda asked me. I was like, ‘I don’t know!’ So that’s what I was talking about. You cannot plan something like this.”

Alia Bhatt's apology

“Par mere ko announce nahin karna hai. Kyunki yeh public event nahin hai [Why? It’s not a public event!]. Speculation was also that there are 25 vegan counters [at the wedding]. I said I didn’t even have 25 guests. What am I going to get 25 vegan counters for? And I have got a lovely but a basic house. You speculate what the hell you want, it is fine, entertaining. I don’t care. I didn’t want to confirm it. Because you have to understand, I live in a residential building. It was anyway a nightmare [for the neighbours] — poor things, we sent them all hampers… Yes, haath jodke unse maafi maangti hoon [I apologise with folded hands], but we made enough preparation. I wanted to get married at my house, where Ranbir and I have lived together for the past many years since our relationship began. It was perfect, comfortable — I got to interact with everybody, because there were only 40 people. We aren’t the big, celebratory kinda people.”

Alia Bhatt on nepotism

“I believed the only way I could shut the conversation down is through my movies. So, don’t respond, don’t feel bad. Of course, I felt bad. But feeling bad is a small price to pay for the work that you are respected and loved for. I delivered a film like Gangubai. So, who’s having the last laugh? At least until I deliver my next flop? For now, I am laughing! Nepotism, in my opinion, exists in every industry. It’s leveraging your connections to help somebody get a position. You can similarly put somebody forward for a job in tech, marketing, or finance. But if he messes up that job, the company goes into a loss. [Likewise in films] the audience is the biggest barometer for success. If they believe you’re worth that success, they will give it to you. Another thing — how can I control where I am born, bhai? Tomorrow, if my child wants to get into acting or movies, they will have to work hard to prove. So you have to have a super thick skin [about it].”

Alia Bhatt on her characters

“For instance, in Darlings, I depended a lot [on the debutant director] Jasmeet [K Reen]. It helps to work with a writer-director. You know that they’ve lived with the script for that long. Jasmeet spent three months in Byculla [where Darlings is set]. She would come and tell me things. You are then really responding, living, breathing that moment [on set]. That is why I had so much fun working with Shefali [Shah], because she is exactly like that. You don’t know what she is going to do. Also, I am a bit of a sponge. You can tell who I’ve hung out with on a given day — because I start speaking like that person!”