'I'm doing what I love'

She might be the daughter of film-maker Mahesh Bhatt but actress Alia Bhatt is busy creating her own identity and career path, independent of family ties. The 20-year-old will be seen opposite Randeep Hooda in Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Highway’, where she portrays the role of Veera Tripathi, a rich industrialist’s daughter who is abducted on a highway and feels liberated only in captivity.

Shot across six states of India in difficult terrains and weather conditions, the film paved the way for Alia’s internal journey too. “This journey was a first for me and my character. So I was bound to go through the same transformation that she went through. I became a stronger person and it gave me a better perspective on life,” says Alia during her visit to the City recently. 

“It was difficult but it was good in a way. It was the kind of feeling you get when you go to bed knowing that you’ve done good work that day,” adds Alia, who has also sung Sooha Saha for the film.

While she made her debut in Karan Johar’s ‘Student of the Year’ opposite Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, Alia was equally at ease working with the older and more experienced Randeep Hooda. “Age is just a number. Randeep was great to work with and we got along very well. I feel like he’s younger than me sometimes! Both of us were very close to and affected by our characters while we were shooting. Whatever happened was just magic after that,” she shares. Comparing the two experiences, she says, “‘Student of the Year’ was special for different reasons because it was my first film. But this took me to another level as a person.”

It was a learning experience working with Imtiaz, adds Alia. “It was the most enriching experience for me because every actor wants to work with Imtiaz at some point in his or her life and I got the opportunity to do that this soon in my career. The film and character taught me a lot but Imtiaz taught me how to be a human being,” she notes, adding that she is also keen to work with Rajkumar Hirani and Zoya Akhtar.

Was acting always her dream? “I never make plans because most of the times, I can’t stick to them. This was the case even in school. I’m content because I’m doing what I love. This was always the career choice. There was no alternative,” she states, adding that she enjoys painting when time permits.

When it comes to Bangalore, her attachment is mostly to the food.

“Bangalore has superb food and weather! But whenever I come here, I don’t get to spend enough time. I do make it a point to get the South Indian food, especially rasam!” she wraps up.

Alia will next be seen as Ananya Swaminathan in ‘2 States’, following which she will feature in Karan Johar’s production Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.