In 2024, Alia Bhatt impressed fans with her performance in the action-thriller Jigra. However, the film, which also starred Vedang Raina, failed to perform well at the box office. Despite its underwhelming
reception, Karan Johar said in an earlier interview that while the team was “disappointed,” they remain “proud” of Jigra. Over the years, several actresses have headlined films driven by their performances, be it Alia Bhatt in Raazi, Rani Mukerji in Mardaani, or Vidya Balan in Kahaani. However, in a recent interview, Alia suggested that films within this space haven’t always received widespread acceptance from audiences. She also spoke about ‘betting’ on her next film, Alpha, the first female-led film in the YRF spy universe.
While speaking to Femina, Alia Bhatt was asked what made her say yes to Alpha and why she called it a “risk” earlier in one of her interviews. Sharing her thought process, she said that one of the key reasons she agreed to the project was her belief in the genre, despite it not having been widely accepted in India in the past. The actress said, “I think what made me say ‘yes’ was, number one, it’s a genre that I’m betting on, and one that has not been accepted in the past, in India at least. So, I wanted to understand: why has it not been accepted wholeheartedly in the past? There have been female action characters within films driven by men, but there’s never been a story that was told where the protagonist is a female character, and where the storytelling is engaging you to the point where it doesn’t matter what the gender is.”
She acknowledged that female-led films have found success, but noted that this particular genre has not consistently worked in the past. She further added, “I could be completely wrong, but I believe, deep in my heart, that if the story is powerful and if the story connects, it doesn’t matter who’s leading it, or whether the protagonist is male or female. There have been female-led successful films, but in this particular genre? It’s historically not fully worked. And number two, I really liked the story! I thought it was new. It’s something that I hadn’t done as an actor before and I had not seen in recent years.”
Alia Bhatt further pointed out that Alpha doesn’t just revolve around her, but also features Sharvari in a key role, making it a two-women-led narrative, something she found particularly exciting. She added, “I found a really good vibe with Sharvari. I also wanted to have fun at the movies. Alpha is actually a popcorn entertainment, fun film. Very sort of specific genre with storytelling at the heart of it. Once the unit is out and, hopefully, the world opens up, you will see a lot of that, there’s something to explore here with women and this genre.”
Directed by Shiv Rawail, Alpha also stars Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol in key roles.
