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Shahid and I Didn't Chat on the Sets of Udta Punjab - Alia Bhatt
Peppy, upbeat, child-like, cutesy are just a few adjectives that easily come to your mind to describe Alia Bhatt. But professionally, she has carved a niche beyond these labels. She is bold with the roles she chooses and it is safe to say that the Bhatt scion has her father's acumen of cinema. In her four-year long career, there has been no turning back for her. Her failures have taught her to take life with a pinch of salt and her successes gave her the confidence to choose what she believes in. Ahead of the film that will be a defining point in career - Udta Punjab, Alia talks to Pinkvilla about the film, her bonding with the Shaandaar Shahid Kapoor and whether she can create a hattrick in 2016.
Shahid told us that he initially offered you the script of Udta Punjab only to read. Did you know that Shahid had you in mind for the role?
Not really, because he would constantly talk about the movie while shooting for Shaandaar but he hadn't said that I want you to do it. He would say 'I'm doing the film'. So I didn't get the hint and he didn't give as well. I also think, that he must have decided over time that may be Alia will be interested and I am really thankful to him, that he really thought I could do the role. Which is why he gave me the script, though initially as a friend to read it, but later he asked me if I am interested in playing that character. I told him 'But nobody has asked me'. He said, they will come to you only if you are interested. I said 'Of course I am interested' and that is how it happened.
Can Udta Punjab be called your toughest film?
Till now yes. I mean I have done 8 films till now and this was the hardest one.
What went into the preparation for your role in Udta Punjab?
Firstly, the girl that I am playing is from Bihar but stays in Punjab. So firstly there was a lot of speculation regarding what dialect I should speak. Of course Bihari isn't a language, which I am aware of. It is basically a dialect that I have borrowed from people who've lived both in Bihar and Punjab. For instance, if we live in Mumbai and then settle in Delhi, then our Hindi won't be pure. It will be different. You accustom yourself to both. That is what her character has done. That is what I had to prepare. I mugged the dialogues like a parrot. My sir, Pankaj Tripathi helped me. The hardest part for me was to let go of the urban body language and for that i did lot of workshops. They are not expressive by face and have very dead pan expressions but their body language wise, they are very expressive because for them there is nothing like correct or incorrect behavior. That was interesting and challenging for me.
Was it difficult to learn the moves of hockey?
I did do some hockey training because there is a sequence in the movie about it. I had to have that comfort and familiarity. Hence I decided to train for sometime. Hockey has lot of wrist moves, especially your left hand, which is moving whereas your right hand is firm on the stick. When I was using the hockey stick, I had to be very aware of that. And it is a very skillful sport, I must say.
Has anyone from your family seen the movie yet? If yes, what has been their reaction?
Nobody has seen the film yet. I don't want them to see it in the edit. I want them to see the final product with the right sound, background. I have seen a very rough cut and have seen it a year back.
Were you anticipating the Censor trouble?
I was anticipating a little trouble but not so much because we weren't going to ask for a 'U/A'. We were always aiming to get an 'A'. I don't see why there is so much of hullabaloo if we are asking for the adult certificate. But I don't think a film like this should have trouble in releasing.
Do you have scenes with Kareena and Diljit?
I don't have scenes with Kareena but with Diljit, I do cross paths with him. But I have many scenes with Shahid.
How was it working with Shahid Kapoor for the second time?
It was a completely different experience. On Shaandaar, we used to chat and chill together. But on the sets of Udta Punjab we didn't even get to chat with each other. We used to sit on opposite ends on dinner tables too. We decided to be like that because for a movie like this you need to be in your own confined space, and need to take time off. Shahid was also very ill when I was there during the shoot. He was exhausted because he was training to be a certain way and he was shooting nights and stuff like that. It was very challenging that way.
In an interview you said that you freaked out looking at Shahid as Tommy Singh. Was he your inspiration to get your character's nuances right?
The thing is Shahid shot after me. First Diljit and Kareena shot, then I shot and then Shahid shot. So my inspiration came from beginning only. He had to go more of a physical transformation. I also had that and had to lose weight to look weak. Shahid on the other hand had to look gaunt and that was difficult to achieve because you have to eat nothing and work out a lot. But he did it very smartly and hats of to him.
Have you met someone who has been involved into substance abuse?
I have interacted with some who have been involved into substance abuse. But I haven't met anyone who is addicted to it.
You are headed for DREAM tour in August. How are the preparations going on?
The tour preparation haven't started yet. July is the time when I will be rehearsing hard for it. It will be one hell of a show which will be two and half hours long. We have lots of nice things planned for the audiences and we all are going all out.
Katrina and Sidharth would be dancing to some songs. Will we see you dance with Sidharth and Varun too?
All of us are doing all of our songs and there will be lot of more surprises as well. I will be definitely dancing with Sid, Varun, Adi. And hopefully I am dying to dance with Karan on stage.
You are finally working with your home production - the Bhatts. Excited?
Aashiqui 3 is still in scripting mode and there are definitely talks going on. But I would want to refrain from commenting anything on it because it is still in scripting mode. But yeah there is major excitement because if we come together for a film like Aashiqui, I think the brand value and the franchise that it is, there can be no better film. Though I still feel, it is too soon to talk.
What's the status of Gauri Shinde's movie?
Gauri's movie will release hopefully by the end of the year, though there is no confirmation. I am very excited about revealing the title too. But I don't want to reveal anything about it verbally, let's do something visually. Project 51 is the working title.
How is Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya shaping up?
We will begin the second schedule of the movie after Udta Punjab releases, I think in July. It’s a franchise, not a sequel. It’s a different story but with same people, same director (Shashank Khaitan) and the one thing in common is that it’s a love story.
Kapoor and Sons, Udta Punjab and then Gauri's movie - 2016 looks good. Can we say it will be a hattrick for you?
(Laughs) I hope... I think it is high time. I hope. Let's see. I am quite confident about the plots that I have chosen and now it is on the audience to decide.
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