Right from the beginning of her career, Alia Bhatt chose to play her cards differently, following her instinct and her heart. Bollywood's child-woman wasn't launched by her father, picked dangerously different roles from the word go, and professionally, has now cushioned herself in a space that will peculiarly remain hers. With International Women's Day around the corner, she talks about our #noconditionsapply initiative and why women don't have to apply conditions to everything they say, do or dream...

Why apply conditions to your dreams?
You have one life. If you want to marry and look after a house, it's fine, but only as long as you want it. You shouldn't be doing it because the idea has been fed by someone. If your heart desires to be an artiste or wants to pursue something else, do that. Even if it looks difficult, try. How would you know whether it is achievable or not? We would've lost so much talent across fields had women not decided to give their aspirations a shot. I'm not against having babies or starting a family, but I have a problem if you don't give your dreams a fair chance. I think even boys are sometimes coaxed to drop what they like. Stereotypically, they too are pushed into engineering and medicine when their heart lies in arts and other fields. Why should there be a condition on any individual? Conditions shouldn't apply to dreams...

A star kid, who has broken stereotypes...
I've been told that I've broken stereotypes, but I don't do anything with the motive of breaking anything. I follow my gut and instinct, which are different from others, whether it's choosing roles which are different from each other; whether it's a film like Highway, 2 States or Udta Punjab, or living life on my own terms.

My personality and mind function differently.
I follow my heart and that always adds up to something good. You must always do something that makes you happy and is worth your effort and time. In a way, I can relate to Vaidehi, my character in Badrinath Ki Dulhania. The strongest relationship in her life is the one she has with herself. She is extremely sorted about what she wants. My mother (Soni Razdan) comes closest to that.

Fuss over my dress? What the heck!
It's saddening that our clothes are given so much attention, especially with respect to security. Clothing is such an important issue, but only for girls. If we wear something, it might create a problem for some reason. I've never seen such concern with respect to men or boys. I've never heard that a boy is told not to wear shorts because there could be a security concern. This happens because of the way society looks at it. Had this question never been posed before, we wouldn't be tackling it right now. I won't lie. At times, in a smaller city, even I won't wear certain kind of clothes, not because I'm not confident to carry it off, but I think that the society there won't understand my sense of dressing. We cannot ignore the society we function in, right? But at the end of the day, I'll still choose to wear what makes me comfortable. If you feel confident, wear what you desire. Yes, dressing aptly for any occasion is important, but don't make a girl's clothes an excuse or a concern.

What a woman wants to do is her birthright
Women are becoming dominant in every field. They've now entered the armed forces, too. I'm happy but having said that, it makes me take a step back and think, why are we talking about it with a sense of jubilance and achievement? Should our presence in every field not be our birthright? Should it not have been this way from the very beginning? Yes, it's an achievement that their voice is being heard and credit goes to all the feminists who have toiled to bring women's concerns in the spotlight. But women will also agree that it should have been this way anyway. Now, after this point, let's not converse about it. Let it be. Moving forward, let's hope we don't have to earmark a day for women in our calendars. That's how we will reach a state of equality. That'll be outstanding!

Do away with conditions
I can instantly think of three areas where no conditions apply or should be applied for women. Why should anyone decide how many guys a girl can be friends with? Why should she be judged for that? Guys and girls can be friends. Sometimes, girls are better friends with guys than they are with girls. I have so many guy friends, so what? Secondly, no one other than you decides when you want to get married. Yes, there is a legal age for getting married though sometimes, girls are wedded way before that age. But marry when you think you are ready for it. Consult your gynaecologist in case you think your biological clock's ticking away  That's it. If you're 30 and not married, it's not a problem otherwise. My third concern is over girls not being allowed to enter shrines when they're menstruating. No conditions must apply there. How are women deemed ashudh when they're bleeding? It's beyond ridiculous. Don't people know why we bleed? It's a sign that we have the ability to give birth to another life. Disallowing women to enter temples during their periods angers me. It's absurd because it's the rule of nature. There's nothing wrong with you, girls. It's just a thought process that needs to change. Fingers crossed, some day it will!

As told to Rachana Dubey