Plans to take time off till September to ‘imbibe untried experiences’ and ‘better her craft’
Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 16, 2017)

The offers continue to pour in for Alia Bhatt, even as she takes in the success of her latest release, Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya. But Alia has other plans for now.

The actress has decided to take time off from acting for the next six months. She confirms, “That’s right. My next, Ayan Mukerji’s Dragon starts in September. Until then, I am going to be bettering my craft, learning new skills, imbibing untried experiences.”

Alia’s gameplan
Alia has a wish-list of new skills that she wants to learn until her next film begins. “I want to learn to play the piano. I want to learn Kathak, too.” This is part of her gameplan as an artiste. “I want to be more equipped as an actor. I realise acting is not just about what you do when you’re facing the camera. There’s a lot more thought that goes into it. I am trying to gather as many experiences as possible.”

But most importantly, she says, she wants to learn cooking. “I have a new home and I’m house-proud. And I love to entertain guests. However, whenever guests drop in I feel inadequate because I am unable to cook for them. Not just that. I want to cook for myself also. I feel it is an essential part of my progress towards a complete life.”

Learning to live alone
The house-proud actress is still learning to live without her parents. “My parents live just a stone’s throw away. And you know what? I feel I am able to give them more focussed time now that I don’t live with them. Earlier, I’d take their presence in the house for granted. Now every second that I am not with them, I am reminded of the distance. So whatever time I spend with them, I make sure I am all there.”