Arjun and I did not have any contact at all – Alia Bhatt

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart… There is certain sense of confidence in Alia Bhatt's voice, tone and words which is poles apart from how she sounded in the days leading to the release of Highway. With the Imtiaz Ali directed film fetching her the kind of appreciation which is unprecedented for a young woman who is just two films old, Alia is now supremely charged when it comes to her latest release 2 States.

Student of the Year, Highway and now 2 States – Is it a different high in itself to be featuring in three distinct films?
I don't know if that's a high but yes that was always my plan to keep the variety on. I am fortunate to get roles that are different from each other. 2 States in particular really works for me as I have read the book and found it quite hilarious. It's a great take on how inter-caste marriages are taken in our society. There is humor in there which comes across on screen with those well defined moments.

Coming together of you and Arjun coming for the first time sets the stage for some fun too, isn't it?
It is always good to see a fresh pair on the screen but the fun element is not about just me or Arjun. 2 States is also a family film so it's also about the characters played by parents. The film is not just a romcom. It also has a lot of emotions though not in an overbearing sort of way.

Thankfully, your Tamilian character is not coming across as a caricature.
Exactly. I am playing this modern girl of today who has her cultures and tradition in place but then she does not have to throw it on your face that she is a Tamilian and has her Indianness in place. It isn't as if she starts speaking in Tamil at any given point in time. Maybe when she is in front of her parents then she does it. Similarly Krish (Arjun Kapoor) doesn't start bringing in Punjabi elements for the sake of it. In fact he plays someone who is quite the opposite of a quintessential filmy Punjabi boy.

Guess that's what is expected to make the chemistry between the two of you work on screen.
But then we had to work on getting it right because prior to working on the film, we did not have any contact at all even though our parents have been in the film industry for decades. We may have crossed our paths at social outings a few times but we were hardly even acquaintances. This unfamiliarity factor worked for us on screen too.

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more