Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar says actress Alia Bhatt has raised the bar for herself in cinema with her role of Sehmat Kaur — the Indian spy — in the movie Raazi (2018).
“Alia performed quite challenging scenes in the movie. She would be trembling before you say action but the moment camera rolls, you see the performer in her taking over everything. She has raised the bar in acting for herself, ” Meghna Gulzar told IANS, a news agency, over e-mail.
The daughter of veteran lyricist-poet Gulzar, Meghna, who showed the India-Pakistan spy drama against the backdrop of the 1971 war through the film, admitted that Bhatt was her first choice for Sehmat and she could not see anyone except Bhatt playing the role.
“I could not see anyone else play this part. If she had not done the film, I don’t think I would have made it. Alia’s vulnerability, fragility fitted the character which I imagined. I am grateful for the belief she had put into the character and brought it to life.”
Besides Bhatt, Raazi which became the first female-led film (non-franchise) to earn more than Rs100 crore, also features actors like Vicky Kaushal, Bhatt’s mother Soni Razdan and Rajit Kapur.