‘PRESSURE WILL NEVER GO AWAY’

Alia Bhatt says regardless of whether an actor plays a small part or is the protagonist, one is never free from the stress of a film’s release

Gone are the days when Bollywood heroines would be restricted to playing damsels in distress or just add a dash of glamour to the film. Female actors are now playing title roles as well, which is a welcome change for sure. For instance, Deepika Padukone recently starred as queen Padmavati in Padmaavat (originally titled Padmavati), Sonam Kapoor played the late Neerja Bhanot in Neerja (2016). Kangana Ranaut is working on Manikarnika, and Alia Bhatt is set to be seen in Raazi that will see her portray the central protagonist.

“I honestly feel that at the end of the day, the protagonist is the film itself while we [actors] are just characters and actors. The hero of a film is the story. Of course, there is pressure even if you are playing a small part in a film because then you are always like, ‘oh, will I be able to make an impact?’ On the contrary, if you carry the film on your shoulders, there is again pressure from other side [trade and box office] as well,” says Alia.

While adding that “the pressure [with regards to a film] will never go away”, Alia maintains she is eagerly looking forward to the release of the Meghna Gulzar-directed film. “There is definitely a curiosity to see how the people accept this kind of space and storyline because the story is one of a kind. I am not talking about films in general that have released in the past but it’s [story and its world] definitely very new for me. So, I want to see how it’s received, mainly out of curiosity,” says Alia, who turned 25 earlier this month and is kicked about it.

“You know, earlier, people would look at me and say, ‘oh, you are so young’, but now, I can say that I am a little more mature,” she says, laughing. But doesn’t her young age ever restrict the kind of roles that come her way? “That way, I feel I am blessed. I’ve the kind of personality that can be transformed into someone of a 40 year old, and at the same time, I can change into a six year old within the span of one hour. So, it’s all good,” she says.

Earlier, people would look at me and say, ‘oh, you are so young’, but now, I say that I’m a little more mature. ALIA BHATT, ACTOR