Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, who has impressed the audiences with her versatile roles in films like Udta Punjab, Raazi, Gully Boy, Darlings and Gangubai Kathiawadi, might be gearing up for another challenging role. According to sources, Alia is in talks with filmmaker Hansal Mehta for a biopic of renowned journalist Barkha Dutt.
Barkha Dutt had earlier expressed desire for Alia to do her biopic
Barkha Dutt, who has been a pioneer of Indian journalism and a recipient of several awards, had earlier expressed her desire to see Alia portray her on screen. In an interview with Pinkvilla, Barkha said, “I am not saying this because she just has a film out but I am saying this because I really think she’s the most talented actor is Alia Bhatt. I mean there’s no question…the range, the sheer range, the ease with which she plays everything”.
Barkha also revealed that she had met Javed Akhtar and the team of No One Killed Jessica, who have based their characters on her, but she did not find them realistic. She said, “I think there’s a little bit of a caricature of the journalists in movies. I think the Lakshya character did try, but in the end, it became some love story, so, I didn’t really recognize myself. I really think there’s a good movie to be made about journalists, about journalism and a journalist”.
Hansal Mehta approaches Alia Bhatt for Barkha Dutt’s biopic
And now as per a report in Peeping moon, Hansal Mehta, who is known for his biopics like Shahid, Aligarh and Omerta, has reportedly approached Alia for the project. Although Alia hasn’t committed yet, she has shown a strong interest in this project. Alia and Hansal have been discussing their possible collaboration for months, and things seem to have been progressing positively thus far. However, nothing has been finalized yet and the official confirmation or announcement is awaited.
If the project materializes, it will be the first collaboration between Alia and Hansal, and the second real life story for Alia after Gangubai Kathiawadi and Raazi. They are expected to take the film on floors in the second half of 2024, after finishing their current commitments.
Alia Bhatt is currently filming Vasan Bala’s prison break drama, Jigra, and will then move on to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s delayed Baiju Bawra. She also has a female spy movie from Yash Raj Films, slated to begin in the middle of next year. Her availability will determine the schedule for Hansal’s film.
(Also read: Alia Bhatt’s Tremendous 2023 Run; Secures Second spot on IMDb’s Most Popular Indian Stars)
Meanwhile, Hansal is deeply involved in the pre-production of his ambitious web series on Mahatma Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi in the titular role. The show goes on floors next month and is expected to be wrapped up by June 2024. He is also awaiting the release of his next feature film, The Buckingham Murders, a crime thriller starring Kareena Kapoor Khan as a grieving British-Indian detective who is assigned the case of a murdered child in Buckingham.
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