‘I don’t answer. I let my movies do the talking:’ Bollywood star Alia Bhatt reacts to charges of nepotism

Gulf Today Report

Few can hold a candle to her acting chops. In just ten years, Bollywood star Alia Bhatt has turned out to be a supernova in the galaxy of her peers. Each movie of hers is different: from Student of the Year (college romance) to 2 States (culture clash) to Raazi (espionage) to Gangubhai Kathiawadi (underworld).

Her movies are not duds at the box office. On the other hand, she is highly successful. She uses her blockbusters to intercept the trolls and brickbats she faces almost every day. That’s because she is the daughter of famed Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

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But the 29-year-old actor knows how to deal with the charges of nepotism in the Indian film industry that are flying all around, and which hardly stick.

She has learnt, with typical grace, to shrug off the negativity. She does not say anything on the matter: rather, she lets her work speak for itself.

In a new interview with Mid Day, the Darlings star said, “There are two ways of dealing with this. One is controlled and I can prove my worth my space. I believed the only way I could shut the conversation down is through my movies. So, don’t respond, don’t feel bad.”

She says that feeling bad is a small price to pay for the movies through which she has earned respect. She just clams up, goes home and does her work.

“I delivered a film like Gangubai Kathiawadi,” she added. In the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-helmed film, Bhatt plays the titular role of Gangubai, who is duped and sold. Soon she takes control of the world she was once a pawn in, utilising her underworld connections to rule it.

The film grossed over $26m (£22.1m), becoming the third highest-grossing Hindi movie of 2022, according to the Independent.

She says the nepotism charges do not carry any water. “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?”

She implies that roles do not fall on her lap just because she is the daughter of a well-known Bollywood figure, but because she worked hard for them. Her talent speaks volumes for her success.

She knows her strengths. “Hopefully, I will prove to them with my movies that I am actually worth the space I occupy.”