Alia Bhatt turns producer with Darlings, under the banner of Eternal Sunshine Productions. She was seen with Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma, and Roshan Mathew in the film which recently had an OTT release. Alia will also make her Hollywood debut alongside Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan in the international spy thriller Heart of Stone. Besides this, she will also be seen in Brahmastra with her husband, Ranbir Kapoor. Alia Bhatt talks about her film Darlings, husband Ranbir Kapoor and motherhood in an exclusive interview with Filmfare.
Would you say this is an amazing year for you as your life has changed suddenly-marriage, pregnancy, and then producing a film…everything is happening all at once.
I am living a lifetime in one year. It’s all happening so fast. I am very grateful and I am taking each day as it comes. Right now, all the focus is just on being healthy, happy, but mujhe kaam ke keede bahut hai. I can’t not work. People are asking me to just chill, put my legs up and don’t do anything. But I want to work and continue to do that. because I think that should never change. That keeps your mind and heart happy. Maybe five years from now I will look back and I will be like, “OMG! What was 2022? How did it start and how did it end?” I am enjoying it.
You must be being pampered by your mom and mother-in-law.
No, I haven’t met anybody. I have only been working. For the last three months, I was in London, and I can’t tell you how much I missed eating my dal-chawal there. But wahan par bhi, I found someone to send me dal-chawal and poha.
How has your life changed since getting married to Ranbir?
Ranbir is my best friend, so after marriage, nothing has changed between us. He is the same person. Jitni taareef karun kam hi hai. As a husband and as a life partner, it’s a complete set of adjectives that I can use for him. He always supports me. Mujhe bahut hansaate hain. All of my concerns have vanished after getting married to him.
What sort of an actor is he?
As an actor, I have so much love and respect for him. Ranbir is the easiest actor to work with. He is always very calm on set. He is the most punctual. He is also so accommodating and so giving. When you shoot with Ranbir, you can feel a silent energy. You don’t feel his stardom or his presence in that overbearing sort of way. It’s so natural and it’s so calm. He is such a beautiful actor. You can’t see him preparing for his role and working hard to get into character. And I am very much like that as well.
Tell me about Darlings. What were your new discoveries as a producer?
For the first time, as a producer on this film, I was involved in the project from the beginning, whether it was working on the script or selecting our technical team. After the film got over, that is where the real involvement in me as a producer came. You are constantly thinking about the film and putting it out there. The main thing was the trailer and teaser cut, which I have never been involved in. I consider myself a creative producer who likes to be involved in a creative process.
As a producer, what were the challenges you faced?
Challenges are the same. You are trying to tell a story, but you want to connect with people. Will people like it, understand it, or connect with it? At the end of the day, filmmaking ka ek hi major challenge hai wo hai reaching the audience’s heart.
What kind of subjects will you be seeking now to develop further?
I want to tell life stories. Shaheen and I are working together on Eternal Sunshine productions, and the fact is that she came up with some three brilliant ideas within the last four months, and we are developing them. That’s a new facet that has opened in my life. This is my 10th year in the industry as an actor, and in the next 10 years I will continue to act and also focus more on my production house.
What was it like working with Gal Gadot on Heart Of Stone?
It was amazing. She is lovely, very hardworking and a thorough professional. She is such a big star, but she is also very sweet and kind. The whole team was lovely. We shot the whole film in just two months. For me, it was like a bullet speed record.
How is Hollywood different from Bollywood in terms of work style?
It’s the same. The only difference was that here we work a 12 hour shift and have a one-hour lunch break, and there is a 10 hour shift and no lunch break. There, you are constantly on your feet. I liked that system and it’s very effective. Aap slow down nahin hote ho, otherwise after lunch you need one hour more to get the energy back again.
Are you planning to take a break from films?
Whatever films I am going to start will happen next year. So maybe after Brahmastra I can think about it and take a break for a couple of months.