Papa Mahesh Bhatt not involved in my professional decisions: Alia

Mumbai:  Flimmaker Mahesh Bhatt's daughter Alia, who made her Bollywood debut with 'Student of the Year', considers director Karan Johar as her mentor and turns to him for professional advice than to her father.

"Karan is the first person I will call up and tell him about the offer that I have got because he is my mentor. I have a contract for three films with Dharma Productions and I am there for the next five years. So I feel he (Karan) is the person I can fall back on when I need any advice on films or anything", she told PTI.

Alia said compared to her father, Karan was more communicative overall.

"He (Mahesh Bhatt) is not involved in decisions I make in professional life but he talks to me. He knows what I am doing. He keeps a track of what I am doing because he is interested in it (films)," the 20-year-old actor said.

Alia recalled how her father used to be absorbed in work when she was studying, but she feels he is 'subtly protective'.

"When I was studying, he did not even know which standard I was in as that was not his area of interest. Now he knows where I am shooting, where I am doing promotions etc. He is protective in a subtle way," she added.

Alia said her father's advice to her is to understand professional success and failure objectively.

"He does advice me on certain things. He asks me to keep my head on my shoulders. He says nothing fails more than success. So when you get success then what is next, then you start feeling you have arrived and that's when you fail," Alia said.

Though her father has a production company - Vishesh Films - but Alia is yet to get any offer for films.

"No, I have not been asked about it (to act in Vishesh Films) yet. I feel there is a right moment, right time and a particular script. It will a big deal for me to work with my father's production so it should be something right. I will wait for him talk about it," Alia said.

Alia said she also turns to her sister Shaheen, an aspiring filmmaker, for advice.

"Shaheen is somebody I talk to about everything. If I have to take advice then I will take it from her as she does not get pleased easily. She is very particular... She is my toughest audience. Even my father feels convinced with her choice," the actor said.

Alia said her mother was a task-master and groomed her to be down-to-earth.

"I never bought designer clothes. The first designer clothes that I bought were from my own money. I was always on pocket money. My father did try to spoil me but he could not as my mother would never let him do that. We were protected and pampered. I was okay in school I was bad in science and maths," she added.