She is a star and I don’t work with stars, says filmmaker
Mahesh Bhatt is one of the few directors who has always encouraged young talent. But when it comes to working with his own daughter, the young and vibrant Alia, he has his reservations.
Bhatt calls his youngest daughter a “star”. Asked if he will ever work with his daughter, the 64-year-old, known for making serious and meaningful films including Arth, Saraansh, Naam and Daddy, said an emphatic no.
“She is a star in her own world, and I don’t work with stars,” he said.
With over four decades of experience in showbiz, he has given a chance to some of the then ‘not-so-known faces’ who later went on to make a remarkable position in the film world. One such example is Anupam Kher, who witnessed a sudden boost in his career with his role in Saaransh and turned to be one of the greatest character actor of Bollywood.
Mahesh Bhatt’s banner, Vishesh Films, has also launched Rahul Roy in Aashiqui, Sunny leone in Jism 2 and Pakistani actress Sara loren in Murder 3.
Alia, on the other hand, has became a youth icon, thanks to her successful roles in Student of The Year, Highway, 2 States or a would-be-bride in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.
Sharing his reaction on her career graph as a father and as a filmmaker, Bhatt said, “She is lucky to get what she wants.” But for him, success comes with a clause.
“She got what we call ‘the misfortune of success’ because I was fortunate enough to be unsuccessful when I started and then I was groomed in the pain. She had the privilege to take a fantastic take-off in the industry and that too with diverse films. But it’s still a beginning,” he said.
Bhatt feels, “She has to do a lot to keep on fulfilling the unreasonable demands that audiences make” because no one spares anyone in their failure.
“Remember this nation didn’t even forgive Sachin Tendulkar, who had a spectacular take-off and when he leaned down, he had to face lot of criticism. This is public place, they worship success, but they hate failures too,” he added.