Inspiration: I look up to Jennifer Lawrence, says Alia Bhatt

‘Kapoor & Sons’ actor says it’s important to balance out serious and lighter scripts

LONDON: Indian film star Alia Bhatt shared she wants to experiment with acting in Hollywood and a web series for a platform such as Netflix after four meteoric years in Bollywood. The 23-year-old actor also wishes to work in Lollywood, Tollywood and even Nollywood, referring to the Pakistani, South Indian and Nigerian film industries respectively.

“Definitely Hollywood is something, a destination that you really reach after, maybe a couple of years after kind of finding your feet in Indian cinema, in Bollywood,” Alia said in an interview. “I’m going to step into it maybe a little slower, but definitely I have plans.”

She is following a well-worn path, with Indian stars such as Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan already making their mark in Hollywood. Chopra, who stars in the television series Quantico, has also bagged a role in the upcoming film Baywatch.

The Kapoor & Sons actor who has just seven films under her belt, said she admired the work of Hollywood actor Jennifer Lawrence. “Jennifer Lawrence is somebody I really look up to because I really like the kind of choices she makes. She’ll do the Hunger Games but then she’ll also do the Silver Linings Playbook,” said Alia. “So I probably want to start with like a Silver Linings Playbook, something where there’s more scope for performance, you know, because I feel like that’s where I’ll really learn.”

Alia’s most recent role was in Utda Punjab, a crime drama which looks at the issue of drugs in the Indian Punjab, and was widely celebrated for her performance in the film in which she also crooned a single. “You can say acting’s my husband and singing is my boyfriend. It’s a long-term commitment with my acting. Singing is something that I’m really, really fond of, but I don’t know how far I can take that in my life,” Alia added.

While Alia feels it has been difficult to shake off her father Mahesh Bhatt’s legacy, she thinks she is starting to be recognised on her own merit. Alia’s upcoming films include Dear Zindagi, which stars Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, of whom she is a big fan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2016.

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