“I was quiet, boys were eased out in front of SRK” – Alia Bhatt

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

October 19, 2012 - 11:18 AM IST

'Cute-n-petite girl that you wanna take home to meet parents in the evening and then hit the dance floor on a wild night out' - This could well describe Alia, another one of the Bhatt scions, who is all set to announce her arrival today with 'Student of the Year'. Neither does she come across as someone who is trying to project herself as way too confident nor is she a pretty young thing who is yet to understand the ways of the world. In a balanced tone, she talks, though not quite nineteen to the dozen, as she finds herself on the hot seat.

A huge debut like Student of the Year, it couldn't have been better, isn't it?
Absolutely right. None of us had expected that our first break would be with Karan Johar. I remember watching his movies as a kid and then turning over to my sister and asking her if he would ever be open to working with newcomers. And here I am, talking to you and waiting for the film's release which is barely a few hours away.

“I was quiet, boys were eased out in front of SRK” – Alia Bhatt

More than anxiety, there must be scare factor as well, isn't it? After all, all eyes are on you to perform, more so since you come from the Bhatt family. You just can't afford to slip.
Exactly. And this is the reason why other than all the advantages of getting this huge launch, there is also this big disadvantage of huge expectations. We don't want to disappoint, what with such big names and director involved. Yes, we have given our 100% but then for a film as huge like this, it takes a lot out of you to get it right.

So in terms of getting it right, how far do you see that you have managed to reach in your debut film?
Guess I can hardly be the right person to answer that because neither can I be diplomatically correct nor can I afford to be brutally honest (smiles). When I am watching myself on the screen, I would automatically pick out negative points and areas where I could have done better. Okay, so I better not start saying anything more (smiles again).

I hear Shah Rukh Khan had a lot to say though when he visited the sets of the film on its very first day. Do you remember the conversation?

Of course yes! I was quite nervous though at that time since I had just given a shot and wanted to see how I looked on the monitor. And there was Shah Rukh Khan looking at what I had done. I was quiet but he broke the ice and had many kind words to say. The boys still were a little more eased out in his presence since they had worked with him during the making of My Name Is Khan. I remember them telling me stories that how he would share his acting fundas with them and share tips around making your space in the frame count.

Have others bigwigs in the industry started sharing tips with you already? And what does Bhatt saab have to say about what he sees of you on the big screen?
Well, so far it has been nice words from industry people but then I am well aware of the fact that most of the acknowledgment and criticism comes in mainly after the film releases. As for my dad then well, you have to see him to believe what I say. He is the most excited of them all and is delighted to see me on screen.

He may well be more delighted when more films follow with Karan Johar. After all, you have a 3 film contract with him.
Yes, there is a contract and a non-exclusive one. I can work with him as well as others. However let's see where life takes me from here and which films I do. As of now, it is Student Of The Year for me and that's about it.