Interview: Alia Bhatt&nbsp;(Darlings)

Vikram s: The cooking question came from DARLINGS, where she is seen making an omelette and I thought it would be fun to start with whether she made it herself on set. That is not coming through?

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Deepika

Vikram, but the question was a segue into asking how do you do something that is so not you.. or, do you put some amount of alia into the character..

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Deepika

@br: that came through, but vikram’s question is why about cooking and not some other aspect that isn’t particularly women/girl-ish

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Vikram s

BR: Of course it came from the film and served as a good segue and as a viewer i was smiling when i was watching that part but my point still remains. I think Deepika articulated it better than me in her comment.

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Deepika

I am reminded of the chopstick question BR asked MR in conv.s with MR that Aditi did in KV

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MANK

This must be the most or only purely art\craft-based interview that Alia must have done. The usual interviews that feature these new-age Bollywood stars are embarrassing to say the least, cant sit through even 2 minutes of it, all of them modelled after KJO’s idiotic show. It’s going on that show that had repeatedly got her into trouble – that kill hookup, marry stupidity involving SSR got her all the haters. KJos show has turned audiences more anti-Bollywood than anything else. I’m surprised that he is still at it

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ivan

Kjo’s is cringe binge, BR’s is academic/scholarly type? [fill in the blanks], and we used to have Simi’s which was therapeutic. Each has its intended set of audience. Kjo is fun if one doesn’t take him seriously.

Refreshing interview. Finally, learnt something essential about her work.

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karzzexped

MANK – Though I really liked the trajectory of this interview, there’s still a sizeable, if not a major demand for shows which are similar to KJo’s. The cutesy-wowie-incredibly-nosy types, where the hosts may even ask Alia if the delivery is going to be normal or caesarean.

At the risk of generalising things, the late 90s and early 2000 born generation is obsessed with the inner workings of celebs, literally and figuratively!

And this issue isn’t only a Bollywood thing. Even Tamil channels and interviews can be incredibly cheesy and cringey. Heck, even Galatta Tamil, the regional wing of Galatta Plus is pretty cheesy and borders on cringe with the anchors playing a game of who pisses of the guest first?

But, when you look at the number of average views in Galatta Tamil versus Plus, you’d kinda get where the populist expectation is 🤷‍♀️

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The trend in India has for a long time been either towards silly, frivolous interviews of the KJ show type or intensely personal chats a la Simi Garewal (or Anupam Kher or Farooque Sheikh’s shows). There hasn’t been a market within the television system for ‘process’ interviews. News channels used to do good interviews once in a while but they were light on process and heavy on personal stuff.

It’s YouTube that’s opened up the space for this sort of process interview. It’s refreshing to see Alia Bhatt get a platform to talk about her process but it’s not even surprising that she’s very articulate about it. Because she’s clearly a very talented actor and by now has accumulated quite a variety of roles.

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sanjana

It depends on the star as to which platforms he or she wants to be. Some out of gratefulness and camaraderie, some out of necessity and some out of random choice.

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sanjana

It depends on the star to select which platforms he or she wants to be interviewed. Some out of gratefulness and camaraderie, some out of necessity and some out of random choice.
She can be anywhere just like she can do any film which catches her fancy.

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That I agree with to an extent but I don’t recall even so called serious reviewer Masand ever giving a platform like this to Alia. It’s also that it was very convenient for them to stereotype her as dumb girl and play on it. She might indeed not be very well informed for all I know but who said you need an academic background to act. They would never put Bhai on the spot like that because nobody wants to be run over by a speeding vehicle in Bandra, whether homeless or otherwise.

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Sahir.

Madan – actually, Rajeev Masand used to be very good at drawing actors out, asking them serious as well as process-related questions (I recall he needled Abhishek about the gay stereotypes in Bol Bachchan). Unfortunately, most of his interviews from the TV days have been taken off the official CNN IBN channel, but some have been uploaded by others. Here’s a good one with Alia from around the release of Kapoor and Sons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faO4tfElVhI

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ivan

Sanjana: Yes, celebs aren’t giving interviews at gunpoint. They know what questions to expect from whom. Sometimes I wish BR would throw them off guard with his questions (‘saar in addition to the newness in your technique, can we also expect newness in the way you portray women in this movie’), but then I soon realised it isn’t his job to corner them.

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MANK

Simi has gone on record to state that it was KJo who shut down her show

I do understand this obsession with the inner workings of celebrity life. especially in a country where 95 percent of the population cant afford that kind of lifestyle.

Madan, Masand is a guy who writes blind items on the side. how can one take him seriously. Agreed about the hypocrisy of putting certain people on the spot. they wont ask a lot of cringeworthy questions they ask outsiders to star kids, they don’t ask the same questions they ask the female stars to male stars- in many cases they deliberately asks certain questions to female stars to cook up a controversy; if they give a dumb answer or shut them down with a really intelligent answer, either way its still news.

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vijay

Feels strange that after almost 30 years after Pooja Bhatt made her splash, we have Alia Bhatt making bigger waves. Any more junior Bhatts in the offing Mahesh, or are we done?

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.com

“Unexpectedly, she has very wise take on things!”

The way she has steered her life so far, her life and her acting role choices are all indicative of what an extremely wise person she is. From her choice of acting roles , to the emotional intelligence that helps her essay all the difficult roles that she has done in her career, to her baby face and congeniality that endears her to everyone, to getting married to a Kapoor ,to being Karan johar’s favorite bestie is all indicative of an intelligent mind. I haven’t seen her make a single wrong move, so far.

Not just wisdom, she has had all the luck in the world too…Born into film family, the second prettiest (Pooja was a tad bit cuter in her prime) and the most stable and determined of the Bhatt sisters. Her sisters’ illness might have even helped her become an empath that has indirectly helped her tackle all the emotionally difficult roles that she chooses. She has a universal appeal. I have heard actors from all languages talk good things about her.

She is not the first actress in India who has had an easy start in her career. But she is the only one who has played all her cards right and has always made the right choices, personally and professionally. From Kjo’s Koffee appearances, it is obvious that she is extremely competitive too. I am sure she is going to be on top of her game for a long time. Good for her.

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sanjana

Only 4 or 5 of her films stand out imo. Highway, Raazi, Gangubai, Kapoor and sons, Gully Boy. The strike rate is less than 50 percent. Yet she shines maybe due to fans, social media, luck, talent etc. Is she media made star? I dont doubt her talent or appeal. She is one of the best as on today. If Brahmastra works, it will be great for her. She and Deepika Padukone are both almost on equal footing. She wanted to star with Salman in SLB’s Inshallah but that film got shelved, it seems. And there is another film with Ranveer which may do well.
Waiting to watch Darlings.

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Aman Basha

@sanjana: You forgot Udta Punjab and Dear Zindagi. She was solid in both the Dulhania movies too. It’s a great record.
Adding to @.com’s on the mark comment, Alia’s introduction and promotion by KJo is great irony as Mahesh Bhatt abandoning Duplicate mid way nearly destroyed Dharma Productions (apparently SRK directed more of the movie than Bhatt Sr, which explains the insane hamming), given KJo’s rep as a bully and how he holds onto grudges and all, that he would make a star actor out of Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter is amusing. Also, if she had been introduced in the Bhatt banner with their sleaze and semi porn, she would have never made it to the top (not surprising that her worst film is Sadak 2). She’s arguably the most successful insider Hindi actor since Aamir and Salman, and is a great example of maximizing your opportunities and returns.

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sanjana

I did not forget those films. If we compare her with Sridevi or Madhuri, we know where she stands. Why them, even Deepika is somewhat ahead of Alia. Alia should not become another star having 5 to 6 hits and then stagnate. She signed RRR where her role was smaller than that of Olivia Morris. To justify her decision, she said that she just wanted to be part of Rajamouli universe. So what does she want? Big films with small roles or not so big films with big roles? I liked Kalank but it did not work. It is a big gamble out there.

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karzzexped

@Sanjana – I am not from the era of Madhuri or Sridevi, nor have I watched much of their films, so I’ll stay away from commenting about them or comparing them to Alia.

Since you compared her with Deepika, I’ll go out on a limb to say that Alia is an even bigger crowd puller than her. Gangubhai is a testament to that. Pulling in 200 odd crores even with an SLB tag isn’t really a mean feat. And Deepika doesn’t have any standalone hits of her own at this scale.

Sure Deepika has starred in blockbusters like Chennai Xpress & Bajirao Mastani, and one could argue that Padmaavat was indeed about well the lead character. But it still had Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in it to pull considerable numbers.

But if you speak about the overall marketability, brand value, net worth, then I guess Deepika is miles ahead of her.

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sanjana

Right now I am enjoying boycotts. Like Hamlet’s dilemma to boycott or not.

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sanjana

I wish people also boycott plastic with the same fervour!
Googled and found out about plastic’s birth and growth.
https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/chemistry/age-plastic-parkesine-pollution#:~:text=Its%20inventor%2C%20the%20Birmingham%2Dborn,substitute%20for%20ivory%20or%20tortoiseshell.About natural plastics and synthetic ones.

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If people ‘boycotted’ dangerous driving habits, more lives could be saved in a day than the grand total of all lives of struggling actors destroyed by Bollywood. That is, if we accept that Sushant was a ‘struggling actor’ in the first place.

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MANK

Though Alia will never be a Sridevi or Madhuri- i don’t think any one ever will be, the times have changed completely, they will never be any body with their mystique charisma and talent – she’s definitely miles ahead of Deepika in both star power and talent . if an average film like Raazi makes more than 100Crs it’s purely because of her star power, as for acting, i don’t even consider Deepika much of an actress, though she has improved a lot from her initial days

Aman , didn’t you know that pataoing your enemy’s daughter is a standard Bollywood film trope. KJo’s just following that

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Aman Basha

@MANK: Despite my personal opinion that Sridevi and Madhuri were unmatched by their predecessors or successors, Sai Pallavi comes close to Sridevi or Madhuri in terms of charisma, popularity, acting talent, ability to hold their place against male leads and dancing skill. Of course, Sai Pallavi doesn’t have the drop dead beauty of Sri or Madhuri but mystique she has in spades me thinks. Or maybe the right comparison is with the late Soundarya.

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Moi

The characters she chooses are mostly victims of some kind of abuse , mostly sexual abuse…highway, udta punjab, gangubhai. In Raazi and luv u zindagi too, she was playing this innocent victim . I think someone as innocent looking as her going through tragedy ups the shock value and sympathy and brings in the audience to the theatre. Her latest movie darlings also looks like she is a victim of domestic abuse.

Iam really curious to know the kind of roles actresses like deepika and aliya will pick in the future. Lucky that alia gets to do a fun movie with ranveer in kjo’s next. Even zoya akhtar gave her a bit role in her movie for which she won awards and accolades.

Also regarding the interviews, I personally prefer the fun interviews like koffee with karan. I feel like those interviews bring out facets of the actors that 1 never gets to see anywhere else. For example, after the latest koffee interview with ranvir and alia, I now know that alia seems to want to one up deepika when she said that she has asked SLB to do more movies with her than he did with Deepika. In her previous appearance with deepika in koffee too, she was very competitive.
From the same interview I also know that behind all the goofy facade, Ranveer singh has an extremely caring nature by the way alia described about him helping her out during gangubhai and him being genuinely involved in her domestic problems and helping her pick her mehndi jewelry etc. Sounds like he is genuine and makes a good friend.

In their serious interviews regarding craft et cetera, they seem to have nothing new or original to say. Most of the things they say has been said before by a Hollywood actor or old bollywood actor. They seems to be rehashing a lot of the things that has been said before…with the exception of a few actors.

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Ramit

@Moi, I liked Pammi aunty too.

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ivan

Moi: Do you seriously think they’re showing their true personality on KWK? That’s their public persona, mostly they fake their responses to meet the needs of the interview types. Obviously they will say nice stuff about their co-stars, you scratch my back and I will scratch yours.

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Indira Ambur

The only other actress who came almost close to being complete like Sri Devi and Madhuri was Manisha Koirala . Almost…
Manisha was just like Mani Ratnam said in the book …conversations…, porcelain like ! And she could act too .

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sanjana

And Juhi Chawla, the chirpy actress. The more, the merrier.

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Moi

ivan: Then in that case, all the interviews they give are fake…why only koffee? In fact they have more control over one on one “serious” interviews where they get to give rehearsed answers and therefore direct the flow of the interview in the direction they want to.I am sure most of them would rather give the serious type interviews where they get to sound intellectual and parrot out cool stuff about their craft they have heard in other interviews or read in books. I am NOT saying that all of them do that. I am saying the chances to create a fake public persona is more in such interviews.
They are obviously putting out a public persona in every public appearances they do..

The difference when they are interviewed with a costar in fun interviews is that sometimes even if they don’t want to, small little details emerge out involuntarily. That is the reason most of them regret going to Koffee with Karan type of shows where their true self slips out, in the casual flow of the interview. I think Ranbir Kapoor has even refused to go to Koffee with Karan this season, bcoz of this reason.
Agreed that Karan sometimes tries to direct his interviews to make someone he likes look good, but it doesn’t work. It was quiet obvious in the Alia Ranveer show that he was trying to sell cute little details about Alia’s wedding. But it did nothing for me. It was boring af. Peple will naturally ignore stuff that are not palatable.

“Obviously they will say nice stuff about their co-stars, you scratch my back and I will scratch yours.”

Not always. If it wasn’t for Koffee with Karan, I would have never known that a Ranbir Kapoor isn’t very agreeable with SOME of his costars. I would have never seen the ragging session both Sonam and Deepika had in Koffee where they had not so nice things to say about him.

I feel a free flowing , casual , no holds barred interviews like Koffee can reveal a lot about a person than one on one sessions where they are very much in control to answer predictable questions they must have heard a 100 times before.

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sanjana

Before Madhuri and Sridevi, there was Rekha. Beauty, dancing, acting and consistency. Stand alone films like Khoon Bhari maang, Umrao Jaan, Khoobsoorat, Ghar, Ijaazat and even Silsila. Inspite of being from the south, she mastered hindi and urdu dialogue delivery.

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Sahir : Watched that interview of Masand with Alia. Credit where due, yes, he did ask some good questions about the acting aspect so I partially take it back. But a bulk of the interview was focused on personal stuff.. Which I don’t completely blame him for because that was the tone news channels allowed. They wouldn’t do KJ or Kapil Sharma like frivolous stuff, they kept it serious. But personal questions to interest a general audience rather than a cinephile one.

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Srinivas R

I think KWK had it’s reasons to exist back in 2007 when it started. Now with social media and increase in the number of gossip portals, I don’t think it has that X factor it once had of exclusive access to Stars. My wife still watches it and I caught a little bit of the Alia & Ranveer show, it was okayish at best. There’s “we’ve already seen this” feeling to it .

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Moi

Personally, as someone who doesn’t visit the gossip portals very often and therefore not clued in on what is the latest gossip in Bollywood, KWK though not groundbreaking or exclusive, is still a fun one time watch for time pass to get to know the actors . Since this is the only show I watch these actors in, I have never gotten the I’ve already seen this feeling. But I can understand how boring this show must be for those who gets all the latest scandals and tidbits from other sources.
There are other much better content to watch online than gossip portals about actors, so don’t have the time or inclination to go hunting for gossip portals. So the boring old KWK is the only thing I watch.

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ivan