Alia Bhatt: 'I'm Not Insecure But I Am Cautious'

The curiosity of a child, the sensibilities of a woman… Jitesh Pillaai tries to decode ‘IT’ girl Alia Bhatt only to come away more intrigued.

- Jitesh Pillaai

Conversation dangled at a private discussion, talk veered to a veteran actor’s tryst with mental illness. The actor died alone unsung in her house. Alia Bhatt, who was clueless about the actor’s past, was all ears. I could see she was soaking up the information like a sponge. This dark anecdote prefaced the Alia Bhatt story only to emphasise she’s curious about people, about life around her. But to a point. Amongst the finest actors in the country today, she’s unfazed. At close to 24, she doesn’t allow much to get under her skin. She moves on sometimes almost like teflon. Often I’d think she’s detached. It was a wrong impression. She’s connected and that’s why she’s connected to the heart lines of millions in the country. Just when you believe she has no horizons left to conquer, she will wallop you with a sky’s the limit performance. Like she did in Udta Punjab and Dear Zindagi. She interiorises angst, channels some dark energy from ether and makes you believe in the character and her anguish. Alia Bhatt is a first rate actor. But make no mistake, she dances likes a dervish as you will watch Varun Dhawan and her go full throttle in the romantic sortie Badrinath Ki Dulhania.

Despite a does-not-bode-well debut, Alia hit you in the solar plexus with Imtiaz Ali’s Highway. She was bloody good without an iota of melodrama. Then there was the frothy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania where she ratcheted her ratings. Add to it, Kapoor & Sons, Udta Punjab and Dear Zindagi, seems this girl will never disappoint us. I hope she never loses her magic and continues to work into her 80s. The movies need Alia Bhatt, more importantly we need her.