My father won’t direct a film again, calls himself an extinct volcano: Alia Bhatt

Actor Alia Bhatt says that although her father, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt , won’t direct anymore, she wants to take up a film under his banner, if the right project comes along.

Actors Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and filmmaker Shashank Vyas visited HT City on Friday to meet winners of the Stars in the City contest, and promote their film Badrinath Ki Dulhania. In a freewheeling conversation with Sonal Kalra, National Editor - Entertainment & Lifestyle, Hindustan Times, Alia spoke about her wish to work in her father, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s production banner.

Actors Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan in a freewheeling chat at Hindustan Times. (Shivam Saxena/ HT Photo)

When asked if the viewers would be able to see her in her father’s project, she said, “My father won’t direct a film again. He has made it very clear. He calls himself an extinct volcano, because he doesn’t want to direct again. But I will work with the production house. When I do work with them, I want it to be because we want to do that film together and not because I am in the family. That would be a wrong reason.”

Dispelling speculations that Badrinath... or the characters in the film are similar to their 2014 film, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhnaia, which was also a love story directed by Shashank and starred Alia and Varun, Varun said, “Humpty was a boy from Delhi, while Badri is this boy from Jhansi. I could relate to Humpty. He was a college student, had friends and was quite chilled out. Badri is from a completely different environment. He is not educated and has only studied till the 10th standard. He thinks of the world in a very different way. It look me time to change my thinking and to understand Badri’s thinking without judging him. The way he would speak to a girl is not how a hero would speak. Change is a very big part of this film. I hope people get that people can change.”

Varun shared that he was sold when he heard that the character was called Badri. “When Shashank came, and narrated to me the first scene. I could not wait for him to go ahead. I connected to the name Badri instantly. One of my best friends Kavish calls me Badri. It was so strange! I stopped Shashank and went to my balcony and called Kavish to tell him that there is this film where the character is called Badri. Kavish was like, ‘Karle, bhagwaan ne bheji hai tere liye’,” he said.

Follow @htshowbiz for more