Shooting with Shah Rukh Khan is a very big deal, says Alia Bhatt

Actor praises ‘Dear Zindagi’ co-star, says they share similar thought processes

MUMBAI: Alia Bhatt – whose film Dear Zindagi is all set to hit theatres on November 23 – says that after working with Shah Rukh Khan, she has realised both of them share a similar thought process.

Asked about her personal equation with Khan, the actor said, “I got to know Shah Rukh as a person during the shooting. Before this, I hardly spent time with him. We met socially sometimes but only now have I realised that our thought process is quite similar.”

“Shooting with Shah Rukh Khan is a big deal, especially for me as I have been in industry for just four years. But he is a very warm person. He goes out of his way to make you feel comfortable and did exactly that. So after half day of shooting, I was feeling quite relaxed,” Bhatt added.

She recalled her experience of reading the film’s script for the first time and how she connected with it immediately. “I had never looked at problems or life from that angle. I think everyone will connect to the film. There is a family angle too and parents will also learn from it,” Bhatt stated.

According to Bhatt, she always chooses her films based on instinct. “I always go with my instinct when I read a script. I didn’t have any doubt about Dear Zindagi,” she said. “And at that time, Shahrukh wasn’t onboard even!”

Bhatt – who has portrayed a wide range of roles within her short career – claims Dear Zindagi is a different film and admires the director Gauri Shinde for it. “People have not seen or experienced this kind of story before. It’s a story about life and people will definitely take something away after watching it,” she said. “I loved working with Gauri and would love to do it again! Her thinking is very precise and her concepts are very clear. I feel Gauri is a very unique voice of our film industry.”

The 23-year-old Bhatt – who is known for her poor jokes and even poorer general knowledge – feels that one’s flaws should not be hidden away, but celebrated. “They have to be there. To have flaws is awesome. If you have them, do not hide,” she said. “Like I have a flaw of speaking too fast but I celebrate it instead of hiding it. Everyone has some flaws but it’s not bad as they are also necessary.”

The Highway star also went on to praise fellow Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone, who has begun shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next historic drama Padmavati. Bhatt visited the set of the film on Wednesday and without revealing much, expressed, “It was lovely meeting with Sanjay Sir and Deepika. She was looking gorgeous!”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2016.

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