Bollywood star Alia Bhatt in a conversation with Express Adda on Monday spoke about her career and film choices. During the hour-long chat, the actor was also asked about stardom, especially in the context of what is happening in the Hindi film industry right now. Several major Hindi films have failed to perform at the box office this year, leaving the bankability of their stars in question.
Speaking about the definition of a star in the modern context, Alia said, “What makes a star? It’s the love, but there is also a certain kind of star who will bring in the money at the box office. But that cannot happen now without content, ultimately it’s the power of the content that is pulling the audience to cinemas. Of course, there is a certain larger-than-life experience on the big screen which you cannot replace, but the depth of good content standing the test of time is something people should go for, and do go for. So, the stardom comes from the content you give to the people.”
Alia also spoke about how much a star earns if their film fails or underperforms at the box office. “I agree that stars’ salaries should be balanced out against the budget of the film. But then, I am no one to tell anyone what they should charge, kyunki main toh choti hun,” the actor said, adding that there are many examples of actors refusing pending fees (or returning money) after learning that their movies have performed poorly. “If you ask me if some reassessing in general needs to happen, I’m sure all the producers are thinking that way… Even a star is thinking that way.”
Meanwhile, Alia’s husband, actor Ranbir Kapoor, who recently made a comeback to the movies after a four-year hiatus with Shamshera, was not able to meet the audience’s expectations. The film ultimately failed at the box office. While Ranbir’s efforts were appreciated, the narrative failed to connect with the audiences.
Alia Bhatt is currently looking forward to the release of her Netflix feature Darlings, which also marks her debut as a producer. Alia’s production house Eternal Sunshine is co-producing the movie with superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. Darlings will release on Netflix on August 5.