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I don’t need to advise Alia, says Mahesh Bhatt
His ‘masterpiece’ Alia is instinctively attracted to odd narratives, says dad Mahesh Bhatt
In his filmmaking career, spanning almost four decades, Mahesh Bhatt has directed almost 75 films. Switch to his daughter, actor Alia Bhatt: After making her debut in 2012, she has already done 12 films; wrapped up shooting for one more [Gully Boys]; and is shooting back to back for two more [Brahmastra and Kalank].
Ask her dad if he has ever warned Alia to slow down, and he says, “There is no map or compass that you can give to your loved ones in life. You make choices and arrive to certain conclusions with time. You can only tell your children that this is what I would do in a situation like this.”
However, looking at Alia’s body of work including films such as Udta Punjab (2016), Highway (2014) and Raazi, Mahesh feels that he doesn’t need to advice her on anything. “Alia is a formidable star. At a young age of 25, she has achieved amazing distinction in her field, where she has stalwarts applauding her talent. I don’t hesitate in saying that she is my masterpiece.”
He adds that Alia’s choice of roles has always left him surprised. “I think she has astounded even me by displaying the instinctive attraction she has for odd kind of narratives. [Ignoring] everybody’s claims that you have to be a pretty face, I think she has done [very well] on her own. So, why would I mess it up by giving her advice on anything... more so when I didn’t listen to any advice by anybody in my life.”
Calling Alia a confident girl, Mahesh says that at no stage in her career, “Alia has ever had this kind of a doubt where she has said ‘papa or mummy, what should I do?’”
However, recalling a one-off incident, he adds, “Only once she told me that she has said no to a particular film which was with a very mighty banner and had a very big star. She asked me if she did the right thing. I said, ‘If you have already done it, you knew it was the right thing. So, don’t even tell me what it is’. And she smiled.”
Not the one to listen to others, Mahesh wants Alia to follow the same. “The world is full of advices but this [film industry] is one place where the future comes into operation only after you have created it. Your actions now will decide what the future will be,” he says.