‘The idea is to take risks, and mix things up’
Kapoor & Sons, Udta Punjab and Dear Zindagi — Alia Bhatt delivered three critically acclaimed and commercially successful films in 2016. “Yes, there’s nothing to complain about this year. I am happy, excited, motivated and charged, but also aware that I shouldn’t take any of it lightly. I can’t get into a comfort zone... Hopefully, it starts an upward kind of a trajectory,” says the 23-year-old.
After all the success and accolades, does she feel a hint of power? “I genuinely believe that no one is invincible. What may be exciting about me today can be exciting about somebody else tomorrow. So I don’t have any power. The minute I think that it’s all because of me then I will be delusional.”
In order to maintain the momentum, is Alia then going to put more pressure on herself ? “The minute I do that, the process automatically becomes result-oriented. And when things are only motivated by results, it’s not enjoyable. Of course, there’s a certain responsibility that I’ve taken upon but for myself and not keeping other people in mind. The idea is to take risks and mix things up and do the so-called plastic cinema as well as performance-oriented roles. My process should be interesting and indigenous,” says Alia.
Ask the actor about where she sees herself tilting more, critical acclaim or commercial success, and she says: “Critical acclaim is always lovely, but commercial success is all about audiences, and that’s the ultimate, unanimous love that you get. As a creative person, you want it all.”