Promotions are a polite way of begging: Alia Bhatt

In an interview, Alia speaks about her camaraderie with Varun.

MUMBAI: Alia Bhatt has been going all-out with her co-star Varun Dhawan to spread the right buzz for their movie Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. The actor equates promotions to a “polite way of begging”.

In an interview, the actor, who has featured in Student Of The Year, Highway and 2 States, has spoken about her hopes from Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya, that released on Friday.

Are you looking forward to a fourth hit with Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya?

Of course, I want a fourth hit! It would be amazing to have three hits in one year. It has the scope to reach out to the widest spectrum of the audience because it is a family entertainer. It’s been a while since we had a pure romantic film.

Your co-star Varun Dhawan has said that you two have been singing at all the events and publicity for Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya?

Yes, and that’s taking a toll on me. It’s not easy to go on stage and sing in front of large crowds. But I guess it’s important to have fun while promoting a film. But by the end of the day, your mind starts playing tricks on you as you are tired of going from one event to another. During 2 States the pace and the method of promotion were far less exhausting. It wasn’t a subject that needed to be promoted in malls and pubs. In fact, I had to keep reminding them to make me do more. Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya is relatable to the young, so Varun and I have to go all-out to reach out. Promoting a film should be a time to go all-out. Even those who don’t have an interest in the film should want to see the film by the time we are done. Promotions are a very polite way of begging.

You play a Kareena Kapoor fan in the film?

I don’t exactly play her fan in the film. I play a fan of her lehenga. Let me explain. She wants to get the kind of lehenga that Manish Malhotra made for Kareena. Of course, Kavya, my character likes Kareena but it’s the lehenga she really wants for her own wedding.

How different did you find Varun in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya as compared with what he used to be during Student Of The Year?

I’d have been better able to answer that question if I had met him after a break. But we were constantly meeting, so I have no way of seeing any change in him. Varun has not changed for me at all, he remains as quirky and goofy and as caring as ever. I hope he never changes, I’ll slap him if he does. We discovered a mutual fondness before we became actors.

It’s not as if we became friends because we worked together. As an actor, he has genuinely grown a lot. During Student of the Year, he was constantly charged up and eager to give a good shot. Now he thinks like the character. In Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya he was thinking like Humpty. 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2014.

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