Dear Alia

Alia Bhatt continues to be an avid student of life and love finds Suman Sharma.

- Suman Sharma

In a moment from Dear Zindagi, Alia Bhatt’s character Kaira unravels in front of the family. It’s a marked moment of epiphany. Almost as similar to her full- throated cry after losing Mahaveer in Highway. It not only marks the maturation of the wonderfully gifted actor, it also makes us believe that the debutante of Student Of The Year was someone else. The year 2016 may well be Alia Bhatt’s annus mirabilis with Udta Punjab, Kapoor & Sons and now Dear Zindagi. At 23, this actor has achieved what most actors don’t achieve even at 35. And to think that her ascent has just begun.

She grew up on the track. As the third generation Bhatt coming from a film family, she was earmarked for a film career. We saw it with Kajol in Bekhudi. Now we see it in Alia. Her body of work is impressive and we also see a lot of therav in her performance even as she draws from her emotional reservoir. Dear Zindagi is as empowering as it is moving. Breaking the shackles of stereotype, Gauri Shinde’s writing and economy of expression is masterly. And Alia just knocks the wind out of you with a performance that can be called in one word - splendid!

Bring out the bugles; it’s time then to anoint a new princess in showbiz - the effortless, the magical Alia Bhatt. Reproduced below are excerpts from a conversation…

What was the appeal of doing Dear Zindagi?

What I really liked about the script was the fact that I could relate to it. And it’s a story that’s not been told before. It’s Gauri’s (Shinde) fresh way of looking at life, its issues and the problems that we all go through.

How was your experience working with Shah Rukh Khan?