Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; May 5, 2018)

Alia Bhatt has made some rather unexpected choices very early in her career. She has been part of a few experimental films and has also done mainstream commercial movies. “The idea is to get the right balance,” Alia says, as we begin our conversation. Dressed in a pretty salwar kameez, she tucks herself in one corner of her vanity van, for a chat about her upcoming film Raazi and her professional choices. Read on...

After Highway and Udta Punjab, has it become easier now to pick a risky subject?
At the end of the day, everything is a risk. I’m not scared of risks. You need to see if it’s a fruitful, worthwhile experience. Sometimes it will work, sometimes it won’t. But you need to understand what is working for you at a particular time. That’s also a reason why I’m curious to see how Raazi is going to fare. The trailer has got a widespread response, now, I want to know if the film also gets a similar reaction from the public.

When Meghna Gulzar offered you the film, did you say yes instantly?
She came to me with a one-line concept. That’s it. And this was much before any of the producers were on board. It was a different set of people back then, but I told Meghna that whenever she makes the film, I will do it. I said yes to it, without even hearing the script. I was sold on the concept because it was such a brave, beautiful story. Then, when I had the narration and heard the screenplay, I was on.

Given that your films in the unconventional space have worked previously at the BO, does it give you the confidence to do more such films?
It works both ways. Because when a film does well, there’s expectation to do much better. When it doesn’t work, then one’s expected to do something else. I don’t think about the commerce, I only think about its reach. The film can do ‘X’ amount of business, but if it has a positive reach, then that’s a win-win situation for me. I feel that the emotional reach of a movie is far more important than just the financial returns. And if both those things happen together, then it’s amazing.

Your Student Of The Year co-star Varun Dhawan has also explored the same track with films like Badlapur and October...
According to me, stardom comes with a lot of great work that connects with the audience. Even for someone like Varun, what he did was not easy. He has carried films on his shoulders. I don’t know if I will be able to do that, right now. I don’t know if I can do a comedy film as well as he did. When people started calling him a comic actor, he broke the image. It’s all about the timing. For me, it’s to balance out my intense films with my glamorous, beautiful ones. That’s the constant push. Suddenly, I may break in and do a comedy or a negative part. I didn’t do Highway thinking of it as a great career move, but only because it touched my heart.

With actors like you and Varun backing such films, do you think they won’t be considered niche anymore?
Niche is what the audience makes it. The subject might be beautiful, but may not be everyone’s cup of tea. And that’s the meaning of the word. Just because it’s niche, doesn’t mean it’s bad. It just has limited reach. Massy movies, too, aren’t bad films as they have the maximum reach. Most Oscar-nominated films are independent films, which don’t make the kind of money that a film like Avengers does. A film may have a wider reach but it still might not be the Film Of The Year. That title may go to a film like Moonlight, which is more indie. However, in terms of quality, it might be more nuanced.

Is Raazi the most difficult film you’ve shot till date?
Until now, Udta Punjab was the most difficult film for me, but then Raazi took over. And now, it’s Kalank. Udta Punjab was difficult because of the emotional stress, but the character was clear. In Raazi, eventually, I found one zone to stay within. However, it was difficult because there are things that I need to portray and convey to the audience. But my character in Kalank has got several layers. I’m just sitting and counting them each day. The more films I am doing, the more difficult my life is becoming (laughs).

How challenging was it to shoot Raazi?
Learning to drive the jeep and all those things were technical things. But the real challenge was to play the character. These things are there just to pad up the character, so it makes my life a little easier. But these are not what I can depend on to make my character outstanding.

So, is there space for out-and-out masala film now?
Yes, obviously there is. I will also do something in that space very soon.

We hear there’s another film that Meghna wants to do with you...
Does she? But as far as I know, she’s doing another film right now.

Yes, I mean the one after that...
Oh, then, it’s great. Let her work with someone else now. I’ll also do the same and we will come back together (smiles). I found my comfort zone with her. Meghna is fabulous because her vision is so clear. I don’t think she knows it, but she’s also a great actor. She would perform some scenes for me and I would imitate her. A lot of Sehmat’s softness is based on Meghna. I have drawn a lot from the way she speaks.