Badrinath Ki Dulhania was layered and difficult, says Alia Bhatt on how no role is easy for her | Bollywood - Hindustan Times
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Badrinath Ki Dulhania was layered and difficult, says Alia Bhatt on how no role is easy for her

Hindustan Times | By
Jun 19, 2018 10:45 AM IST

Actor Alia Bhatt talks about how emotionally draining parts take a toll on her, especially at the young age of 25, and how she tackles them.

Within her five-year-long career (after debuting with Student of The Year; 2012), Alia Bhatt has made people sit up and take notice of her strong histrionic skills in a variety of parts including a few heavy-duty ones. Remember Highway, Udta Punjab, Dear Zindagi and now Raazi? But don’t such emotionally-draining roles ever take a toll, especially since she is just 25? “I am sure they have an emotional impact in some way or the other. That’s why it is very important for actors to detach,” she says, as Raazi crosses Rs 120 crore mark at the box office.

Alia Bhatt during a promotional event for her upcoming film Raazi in New Delhi.(PTI)
Alia Bhatt during a promotional event for her upcoming film Raazi in New Delhi.(PTI)

Ask Alia what’s her idea of moving away from such characters and she says: “Like any other actor, for me too, that downtime – which is usually between me reaching home, going to sleep and then getting back to work the next day – is very important. What I do during my downtime – for an hour or so – disconnects me [from that film world]. Otherwise, you end up living only that character. And it is difficult because [during the shoots] even when you break for lunch and go to the [vanity] van, you’re still thinking about a particular scene and what is happening [with your character].”

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Vicky Kaushal, Alia Bhatt and filmmaker Meghna Gulzar during a press conference organised to promote their upcoming film Raazi in New Delhi. (IANS)
Vicky Kaushal, Alia Bhatt and filmmaker Meghna Gulzar during a press conference organised to promote their upcoming film Raazi in New Delhi. (IANS)

However, the Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania actor is quick to add that at times, being “into a character” is a part of the job. “Sometimes, being in a character is a nice escape and sometimes, you have to live with it for some time at least. The same thing happened with me vis-à-vis Raazi because we shot it in one go and I didn’t have any downtime. So, at the end of the day when I would go to sleep, I was just too tired,” says Alia, recalling how she once got too emotional during Raazi’s shoot.

“I remember once I was sitting with Meghna and was generally talking about the character. We were not even shooting but I got very emotional and was like, ‘why does Sehmat have to go through all of that? This is so sad.’ It’s weird, and not normal. How can that happen to anybody? So, obviously, your reel characters do leave a bit of residue in your real life,” she says.

Alia Bhatt at the special screening of the film Raazi, in Mumbai. (IANS)
Alia Bhatt at the special screening of the film Raazi, in Mumbai. (IANS)

But Alia admits that there are “phases when you go through such things.” And they take a toll on you as well but you still have to go through it. I dealt with the same things vis-à-vis Raazi as well, but I went through the process in a very calm and positive. I didn’t become negative or sad in any way; I was just tired (smiles),” says the actor, who is currently busy shooting for Abhishek Varman’s Kalank.

From the looks if it, one can easily assume that film such as Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania (BKD) must be easier for Alia. But she doesn’t think so. “BKD was a little layered and difficult. It had a different kind of difficulty. That kind of masala cinema is also not easy,” she says. “Actually, nothing is easy (laughs) but the grass is always greener on the other side. Understanding the layers [of a character] isn’t easy. I am one of those people who don’t like to ‘perform’. Instead, I like to feel my character and its intricacies, which is difficult. You can’t always feel those nuances. But as an actor, you have to believe completely in your part.”

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Prashant Singh is an Assistant Editor with HT Cafe. Besides bringing out the edition on a daily basis, he also extensively writes on Bollywood.

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