Alia Bhatt is once again drawing global attention at the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival 2026, not just for her fashion appearances but also for her thoughts on cinema and storytelling. During a recent interaction with The Hollywood Reporter India at Cannes, the actor spoke about the need for more inclusive storytelling in Indian cinema and questioned the long-standing perception around gender-based audience targeting.
While discussing the kind of changes she hopes to see in films, Alia referred to successful Hollywood projects such as Barbie, Wuthering Heights, and The Devil Wears Prada 2. According to the actor, these films primarily catered to women audiences while still managing to create a wider impact globally.
Talking about the Indian film industry and audience discussions around box office trends, Alia said, “In India, somehow when we talk about box office numbers, there's a conversation that comes up pretty often, ‘oh 75% of movie-going audience is male, so we need to cater to the mass’. This conversation comes up quite a bit. But, I only wonder if we are catering just to the men, then what happens to the women?”
The actor further stressed that gender expectations should not restrict films and that storytelling should remain the central focus. “I am not saying that we alienate the men, but then why do we have to alienate anybody? Why do we have to cater to one gender? Why can't we make movies that are gender agnostic, where the storytelling takes centre stage? Whether it stars a man or a woman, that should not matter. It is the storytelling that should matter. So, I am just hoping we have more of that,” she added.
Apart from her statements, Alia has also been making headlines for her appearance at Cannes this year. The actor is attending the festival as a global ambassador for L'Oréal Paris for the second consecutive year.
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On the work front, Alia has two major releases lined up. She will next be seen in Alpha, which is scheduled to release in July this year. The actor also has Love & War in the pipeline, which is expected to hit theatres in January 2027.
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