Alia’s lust for language

After trying her hand at learning Tamil, Telegu, Mumbaiyya slang, and Bihari Hindi, Alia Bhatt is readying to learn the Kathiyawadi dialect of Gujarati.

Long ago, writer-director Mahesh Bhatt had asked a journalist to help Alia learn the Tamil language and certain nuances of Tamil Brahmins for her role in the film 2

States. Alia diligently learned a lot of things about the culture, apart from learning a few words that helped her better play the role of Ananya Swaminathan in the film. Alia then learnt the way Hindi is spoken by Biharis for her role in Udta Punjab, followed by perfecting her Mumbaiyya dialect for Gully Boy, her Urdu for Raazi, and her Telugu for SS Rajamouli’s film RRR. Not long ago, the actress was also spotted learning some words in Swahili during her safari in Africa, and she will soon jump into learning Kathiyawadi for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathaiwadi. “Kathiawadi is a language spoken by the Kathis, who migrated to Gujarat in the 8th century. Kathaiwar actually forms the core of Saurashtra and is spoken there extensively. It is different in form, from Gujarati and Kutchi, which is spoken more. Gangubai is the woman from Bombay’s red-light area called Kamathipura, who ran multiple brothels and later offered protection to the women who were forced into the flesh trade. She had even had a chat with the then prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru when she met him to apprise him about the problems of the women in the business,” says a source. Gangubai Kathaiwadi will go on the floors in the next few weeks at Mumbai’s Film City. — Sanskriti Media

Alia learnt Hindi spoken by Biharis for Udta Punjab, followed by Mumbaiyya for Gully Boy and Urdu for Raazi