Alia Bhatt watched classics to prepare for 'Kalank' role
To prepare for her look and diction in the pre-Partition drama Kalank, which will release on April 17, actress Alia Bhatt turned to classic films such as Mughal-E-Azam, Umrao Jaan and hit Pakistani drama Zindagi Gulzar Hai. Alia said her director, Abhishek Varman told her to watch the show, which featured her Kapoor & Sons co-star Fawad Khan and famous Pakistani actress Sanam Saeed.
'Watched lot of old films to understand grace, body language'
"I watched a lot of old films like Mughal-E-Azam and Umrao Jaan to get an understanding of grace and body-language. I had to clean my Hindi as I am speaking Urdu in the film," said Alia. "Abhishek asked me to watch Zindagi Gulzar Hai. The character of the girl in the show is very much how Roop will deal with the situation," she said.
Abhishek kept saying that I should not be irritating: Alia
Talking about the similarities between Roop, her Kalank character, and Saeed's character in Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Alia said, "She has responsibility on her shoulders so she is not always a happy person. She is vulnerable yet strong. It's difficult (to bring so many) layers - unhappy, vulnerable and strong to a character." "Abhishek kept saying that I should not be irritating," said the actress.
KJo had mentioned the story during 'SOTY' promotions, said Alia
Alia first heard Kalank's story from Karan Johar in 2012. "He had mentioned in passing when we were promoting Student of the Year. But the story was different that time. Later, I heard it from Abhishek and he said he was adapting the film in his own way. After many months, I realized Abhishek had written this role keeping me in mind," she said.
Working on multi-starrer like 'Kalank' was a learning experience: Alia
Alia said working on a multi-starrer like Kalank was a learning experience for her. "I was excited, as I (thought I) would get an opportunity to work with so many different actors and I would pick something up from everybody," she said.
Varun, Sanjay, Madhuri, Sonakshi, Aditya, and Kunal form 'Kalank' cast
Sharing her experience, the actress said, "I used to chat with Sanju sir and talk about my dad (Mahesh Bhatt) and with Madhuri ma'am about diet. With Sonakshi, we used to talk about random things and Aditya was very quiet initially. He opened up later." The film cast includes Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Varun Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditya Roy Kapur and Kunal Kemmu.
