Alia Bhatt : ‘Highway’ to South

Submitted by admin on Sat, 2014-04-19 02:43
The bubbly actress on playing Ananya, working with her father and more...
By Lipika Varma
How has life changed after Highway’s success?
The experience of Highway is very special for me. I was very happy that people appreciated the film. However, for me ‘success’ was Imtiaz being happy with my performance. His happiness was my happiness. 
 
Describe Ananya in your words?
I read the book while filming Student of the Year so had an image of Ananya in my mind.But it took shape when Chetan explained the character in detail. Ananya represents the ‘girl of today’ who has a perfect balance of traditional values and modern lifestyle with forward thinking. She belongs to a very conservative family but that doesn’t stop her from voicing her opinions. Sensitive yet fiery, spunky yet witty; Ananya is like every other woman of today.
 
Was the language difficult to deal with? 
Except the scenes where Ananya interacts with her family, she is always seen talking in Hinglish language especially when she is with her friends and Krish. Hence, all that I had to speak in Tamil for the character I had mugged it up. I didn’t have to work much on the accent because according to the novel, Ananya’s family, the Swaminathans’ is not Chennai based and her father keeps travelling. But one thing I had to learn to get the strong, proud Suddh Brahmin traits right was to learn Bharatnataym to attain the perfect body language.  
 
How much justice do you think director Abhishek has done to the book?
Abhishek has been very sensitive to the basic essence of the book. He has added the entertainment value without disturbing the gist of the book. The alteration of some portions has been done tactfully in tandem with cinematic liberties.
 
What do your parents think of your films?
I don’t get to see my parents much as I am always travelling from one city to another. But I know my father feels very happy about my work. He is very supportive and encouraging. I don’t know where my career is heading but I am certainly enjoying this progressive journey. 
 
Why didn’t you opt to debut under Vishesh Films?
I got the opportunity to do Student of The Year at the age of 17. If I had been 25 and without an opportunity, perhaps I would have approached my father for my career launch. But I wanted to work under another banner. I had to prove my potential by auditioning  with 400 other girls. I didn’t want people to say that I got the role for obvious reasons!
 
Do you consider yourself to be a star already?
No, I don’t. I believe that an actor can do better each time. And all I want to learn is how to achieve that. At the age of 65, my father is still learning. I’m a mere newborn in this industry. I idolise my father. His willpower and punctuality is inspiring. 
 
How do you see the position of women around you?
I have a very feminist outlook. I am strongly against taking men to a superior podium than women in our society!
 
How do you handle criticisms?
I’m new in the boulevard of Bollywood, so are the criticisms about me. To be honest, it does feel bad to hear anything negative about myself. But all I know is, it is an intrinsic part of acting. so, I have to accept it. 
 
Do you prefer being politically correct?
Not politically correct but I try not to get into trouble. Sometimes unnecessary stories are made out of almost nothing. Hence, it is better to be careful about what you say and what you do!
 
Would we see you and Pooja Bhatt working together?
I hope we will do something together in future. No plans as of now. 
 
Do you see any drawbacks in your acting quality?
A lot! Especially in dancing.. I always think that I could have done better. This is what I feel keeps the urge alive to learn and perform.