If you don’t like me, don’t watch me: Alia Bhatt says her films are enough for nepotism trolls

Actor said she won’t feel embarrassed about her upbringing and her father’s hard work

Bollywood star Alia Bhatt, who started her acting career with Karan Johar’s Student of The Year, has time and again faced criticism for being a “product of nepotism”. However, it seems like Bhatt doesn’t let the negativity define her. Her blockbusters and her craft are her way of responding to trolls and she shares that those who do not like her, can choose to not watch her.

In a conversation with Mid Day about how the actor deals with nepotism debates and trolling, she said, “There are two ways of dealing with it. One is, that I can prove my worth in my space. I believe the only way I can shut the conversation down is through my movies. So, don’t respond, don’t feel bad. Of course, I felt bad [at first]. But feeling bad was a small price to pay for the respect and love I would get for my hard work. So, I shut up, went home, did my work, and delivered a film like Gangubai Kathiawadi.”

The actor acknowledged that the second way to deal with such trolls would’ve been to respond to them verbally. But by letting her work do the talking, she got to have the last laugh. "So, who’s having the last laugh? At least until I deliver my next flop? For now, I am laughing! At the end of the day, use that to fuel your work. I can’t keep defending myself verbally. And if you don't like me, don't watch me. I can’t help it. That’s something I can't do [anything about]. People have something to say. Hopefully, I will prove to them with my movies that I am actually worth the space I occupy.”

Bhatt maintained that she will not apologise or feel ashamed for how hard her father worked so she and her sister could enjoy the privilege they do. “How can I control where I am born? How can I control what my parents were doing? You want me to feel embarrassed for the hard work my father did? It comes easier to me, yes, but I am also working hard for the work that I get."

Following in her father’s footsteps, Mahesh Bhatt, the Darlings actor, who’s a mother-to-be, added that if her child would want to pursue acting, she would tell them that they need to work hard, and things won't be easy.

On the work front, Bhatt was recently seen in the Netflix original film Darlings with Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma. Her upcoming film, Brahmastra is scheduled for a theatrical release on September 9. The Ayan Mukerji directorial will see Bhatt with husband Ranbir Kapoor along with stars Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna.