I am a director’s puppet

It would be boring to define myself as an actor,” says Alia Bhatt. But boring is certainly not the word for what Alia does, given the chameleon-like ease with which she gets into character. She not only saves the day in her latest action thriller Jigra, but has also been shaking the box office out of its inertia.

Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh recently commented that the film industry is fortunate to have a talent such as Alia, while her Jigra director Vasan Bala describes her as being fiercely protective of her craft.

She has a 99 per cent success rate at the box office, but Alia says there is no method to her madness.

Humility, the greatest strength

“I owe it to my directors and am fortunate to have got the films that I have. When I get a script, I read it like an audience, and then think about myself. I am not trying to be modest here, but I am very lucky. Luck has played a large part in me getting the opportunities to play the parts I have. Even though I may be a co-producer on Jigra, when I am on set, I am a director’s puppet and give in to their vision entirely. Honestly, whatever the fate of Jigra, I’m happy about the way Vasan and I synced on this project. My philosophy is to keep my head down and keep working, there is no other mantra to success,” says Alia, in all humility.

All about success

In Jigra, Alia plays the avenging sister, who leaves no stone unturned to protect her brother, played by Vedang Raina. She says her protective instructs were at an all-time high when she signed the film. “Jigra was the first film I signed after giving birth to Raha in 2022. I could relate to the sentiment, since this whole aspect of being protective was oozing out of me. But what truly drew me to this story was that it was not only a unique brother-sister story, which was emotionally layered, but told entertainingly.”

‘My husband is my best friend’

Alia and her husband Ranbir are currently enjoying a winning streak at the box office, making them one of the sought-after couples in Tinsel Town. Post the success of their 2022 film Brahmastra, the couple are gearing to collaborate on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love and War in 2025.

As social media compares her high-octane action avatar to Ranbir’s bloody action flick Animal, Alia says there is no comparison nor competition between the two. “I am very fortunate that my husband is first my best friend and secondly, a wonderful actor. Whether it was Gangubai, Rocky Aur Rani or Jigra, the moments I cherish the most are how effortlessly I can discuss the scenes with him. If I am stuck or trying something new, we can discuss it with each other. There are no similarities between Jigra and Animal, except that they follow the theme of protecting the one you care for.”

Asked which film of hers she would like her daughter Raha to watch first, Alia confesses she is uncertain. “She is 2 years old and the first song of ours she heard was Kesariya. Just the other day we showed her the first song I ever shot, which was ‘Radha’ from Student of the Year. We also played Ranbir’s Badtameez Dil,” she says.

Alia is currently filming for YRF’s spyverse Alpha, slated for a December 2025 release.