I don't need superstars to lean on: Alia Bhatt on working with Vicky Kaushal

Mumbai: After the commercially successful ‘Badrinath ki Dulhania,’ Alia Bhatt will be seen in the screen adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s book, Calling Sehmat, alongside Vicky Kaushal by Meghna Gulzar. The film is titled ‘Raazi.’

It is a story of a Kashmiri woman, who is married to a Pakistani Army Officer and so Alia and Vicky are training on the dialect and accent as well as the general features of the character. The film is set against the backdrop of the 1971 war and it is a very real drama and thus the feelings expressed have to be absolutely authentic.

Alia will be seen playing a Kashmiri woman working for the Indian intelligence, spying on her husband, a Pak army man, played by Vicky. It will be interesting to see this unique pairing of experimental actors together in this movie.

Talking about ‘Raazi,’ Alia revealed many insights from the film to a leading tabloid. She said, “I am learning how to drive a jeep, which will be my mean machine. It's based on a true story and it's important to get the layers of the character right. I've been reading and re-reading the script for more than a month to absorb every bit of what the story holds. Meghna and I often sit and understand the character's psyche, which will hopefully enrich my performance.”

On her association with the critically acclaimed director Meghna, the actress who is awestruck by her passion, says, "She has such clarity on how she wants things; her eye for detail is amazing. She is running the show single-handedly and is doing a great job. Her passion is infectious."

Furious on the system of actors getting stereotyped in Bollywood, the 24-year-old said, "I find it ridiculous when people subject actors to a cast system. We are all here to act and the better the actor, the better the film will turn out. Vicky is fantastic. He might not have done many films, but I was sold when I saw him in ‘Masaan’ (2015). He is a better actor than me.”

She continued further saying, “I don't need superstars to lean on. I need good scripts and co-stars who bring out the best in me. Cinema can't be categorised into offbeat and mainstream. A masala flick or a niche film, at the end of the day, its just content for people. What is good, will always work as long as it's made within the budget."

Alia is one such actress, who has balanced her moves wisely in this film game. If she has commercially successful Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ and many others in that category, on the other hand she also has critically acclaimed films like ‘Highway’ and ‘Udta Punjab on her name.

When the young sensation was prodded about her selection of films being a calculated one, she retorts, “My choices aren't like chess moves. I do films for myself. I enjoy everything that appeals to my instinct. I want to be both sides of the coin, and effortlessly play everything that catches my attention."