Alia Bhatt: Overcoming Trolling

Alia Bhatt, a National Award-winning actress, entrepreneur, and producer, delivered an inspiring speech at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2023. In her address, Alia shared her journey of rapid growth in the Indian cinema industry, her commitment to sustainability, her experiences with international collaborations, and the personal challenges she faces as a working mother amidst public scrutiny. This summary highlights the key themes and lessons from Alia Bhatt’s insightful speech.

A Journey of Success and Sustainability

Alia Bhatt began her speech by reflecting on her impressive ascent in the Indian film industry. Achieving significant success at a young age, she has seamlessly transitioned into roles as an entrepreneur and producer. A poignant moment in her speech was her decision to wear her wedding saree at the National Awards ceremony. This choice was not only an emotional statement but also a powerful statement on sustainability. By upcycling her wedding saree, designed by the renowned Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Alia emphasized the importance of reusing and recycling fashion items, promoting environmentally conscious practices within the industry.

Expanding Horizons Through International Collaborations

Alia discussed her ventures into international projects, including her role in the English-language film “Heart of Stone” and her ambassadorship with Gucci. These collaborations signify her intent to broaden her global footprint and represent Indian talent on the world stage. Alia highlighted that brands like Gucci are increasingly recognizing the booming Indian market, and her partnership with them reflects a mutual interest in connecting with a diverse demographic. Her participation in international events such as the Met Gala underscores her role as a cultural ambassador, bridging the gap between Indian and global audiences.

Navigating Public Scrutiny and Social Media Trolling

A significant portion of Alia’s speech was dedicated to addressing the challenges of public scrutiny and social media trolling. She candidly spoke about the negativity she faces, particularly concerning her personal relationships and professional decisions. Alia shared her strategies for coping with such challenges, emphasizing the importance of maintaining gratitude and differentiating between constructive criticism and unwarranted hate. She stressed that while negative comments can be disheartening, focusing on positive interactions and the support of her audience helps her stay resilient and continue her work with passion.

Balancing Career and Personal Life as a Working Mother

Alia also touched upon the difficulties of balancing a demanding career with her responsibilities as a working mother. She highlighted the societal pressures and the need for mindful representation, ensuring that she remains responsible and authentic in her roles both professionally and personally. Alia’s openness about her struggles serves as an inspiration for many women striving to balance similar challenges, showcasing the importance of resilience and self-care.

Key Lessons and Themes

Alia Bhatt’s speech illuminated several key themes that resonate beyond her personal experiences:

1. Mindful Sustainability: Alia’s choice to upcycle her wedding saree underscores the importance of sustainable practices in fashion, encouraging the industry and individuals to adopt environmentally friendly habits.
2. Global Ambitions: Her international projects and brand collaborations reflect a broader ambition to reach global audiences and showcase Indian talent on the world stage.
3. Resilience in Public Life: Alia’s approach to handling social media trolling highlights the significance of resilience and maintaining a positive outlook amidst public scrutiny.
4. Balancing Roles: The challenges she faces as a working mother emphasize the need for balance between professional aspirations and personal responsibilities.
5. Empowerment through Representation: Alia’s role as a cultural ambassador demonstrates the impact of representation in shaping national identity and fostering global connections.

In conclusion, Alia Bhatt’s speech at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2023 offers valuable insights into her multifaceted career, her dedication to sustainability, her strategies for overcoming public challenges, and her efforts to balance personal and professional life. Her experiences and reflections provide meaningful lessons on achieving growth, maintaining authenticity, and fostering a positive impact both within and beyond the entertainment industry.

Host: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. You know, there aren’t too many leading ladies in Indian cinema who can claim to have the kind of success that my guest here today has achieved, and at an age where most of us, if you’d recall, were barely starting out. And we’d see how she’s kind of, within a very short span of time, grown as a super actor, entrepreneur, and even now a producer.

Before we start, could I please request you to put your hands together again for the National Award winner, Alia Bhatt? Thank you, Alia. It’s your debut at the HT Leadership Summit, and we are very, very happy to have you here. I had to put that National Award icing in the introduction because you’re really fresh out of that. I believe it’s your first outing after the National Award.

Alia Bhatt: Yes!

Host: I really would want to start by asking you: What was going on in your mind, let’s say five seconds before your name got announced and you went up there to get the award from the President?

Alia Bhatt: Well, I have to say I was extremely enamored and just so impressed with how well organized it was. There were so many people from so many different… you know, groups in the filmmaking industry, technicians, actors, writers, photographers, sound recordists, everyone. And it was like clockwork, walking up. Everybody was clapping for everybody, and it was just so meticulous. I loved how well organized it was. So it was really very overwhelming in general to be there, you know, and it’s like a pinch me moment. But five seconds before, if I have to actually recall exactly what happened, it is actually quite a lovely moment that Kriti and I shared together because she was standing in front of me, and she looked back at me and she said, “I want… I just, let’s… I want to give you a hug.”

Host: Yeah.

Alia Bhatt: And I just hugged her, and it was just like… and we both got emotional. It was just two young girls… Living the dream and feeling a moment of gratitude and sharing it with each other. Literally, we both had tears in our eyes after that moment, and then we had to get out of the hug because we’re like… “We start weeping over here,” which we don’t want. So yeah, that was actually quite a special moment.

Host: Lovely. And, you know, while we’re talking about the National Awards, I think a lot of us also read about it earlier that you chose to wear your wedding saree for the occasion. While it’s also a very emotional statement, I’d like to say that it’s also a big statement in sustainability. Nobody could have done it better to upcycle, recycle, whatever you may want to call it, your wedding saree. So, was there a conscious thought?

Alia Bhatt: Um, see, you know, whenever there’s a big event or a big moment coming up, the first thought is you start preparing for it. Okay, what am I gonna wear? What am I gonna do? And, you know, how is it going to be. And when it was announced on social media? My mind instantly went to, okay, you know, where is it gonna be and what am I going to wear? Instinctively, I just felt like, I think I’m gonna rewear my wedding saree, and it just felt very me because that saree, you know, was thought and ideated, you know, done beautifully by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. But it was a lot of me.

The white and gold combination and certain symbols. It was… Who I really feel I wear.. A garment that I felt most myself in, you know. So this was a moment that was also very special for different reasons. It was a different occasion, which was extremely special, and this was a different occasion, which was extremely special. So a special outfit can be worn for a special occasion more than once, and I don’t think I was doing anything that people maybe have not already been doing for many years.

Host: Yeah.

Alia Bhatt: And for those who feel that, you know, for a special occasion, I have to wear an outfit that’s not been seen before. Has anyone seen this or not? I just wanted to change that a little bit around and just say, look, you can wear an outfit. I’ve worn this outfit the whole world has seen it, like, you know, days after I got married. But it doesn’t matter because it’s a person that’s wearing that outfit, that’s what matters.

Host: I think the statement worked out beautifully, as you’re saying. Typically, I don’t think too many celebrities, and especially those at your stature who’ve gone ahead and made that statement, so it does seem very relatable to a common person.

Alia Bhatt: I think it’s just us being mindful that you don’t always need to buy a new outfit. Yeah, it’s maybe the more conscious thing to do, and you may not be able to do that all the time, but if you end up doing it a couple of times, it’s a big statement to make for yourself and for the planet.

Host: Fair point. Alia, another thing that happened recently in your career was a lot of international exposure, one by way of Heart of Stone, which was a film that you did, but also by way of some international collaborations, like you took up the Gucci ambassadorship. You attended the Met Gala. Has there again been a conscious decision that being an international influencer is now the way to be because we are all thinking global?

Alia Bhatt: Uh, see, I think, like, for example, doing a film like Heart of Stone was a choice of doing an English language movie. Like, the year before that, I did a Telugu language movie. Maybe in, hopefully in the near future, I’ll do a Malayalam language movie or it. You know, I think the idea is to broaden your horizons to as many languages, reach out to as many, you know, industries, get outside your box, comfort box, and comfort zone again and again. So that was the intention. And whereas Gucci and everything else… I think I’ve said this before.

It’s an association that I feel is most organic because of how much I believe in the, like, you know, I really naturally connect with the products of the brand. But Gucci came to me because Gucci wants India. Gucci doesn’t want me; Gucci wants India, and I represent maybe a certain demographic that speaks to, you know, a certain section in India.

Alia Bhatt: So I think it’s only proof of how booming the Indian market is and how much anticipation there is to bring on the consumers from India to global brands as well.

Host: So, for instance, when you went to the Met Gala, and now that India is practically a growth story that everyone seems to be talking about, did you see a perceptible difference in the way now Indian celebrities are being treated abroad?

Alia Bhatt: I didn’t feel anything different. So I think that’s the difference. It was… I was treated the way… and you should be treated.

Host: Yeah.

Alia Bhatt: Of course our presence and representation can only become better and better. I don’t think we should ever stop there; that can only become more. But, like, even when I’m traveling, you know, I’m always taking India with me, and I represent that side of where we come from, and that’s something that I’ll always take very mindfully and be very responsible of.

Host: Yeah, and this is particular of women celebrities, though I’d say that everyone has that pressure now, but all your appearances, not yours, but all celeb appearances, especially at international forums, etc… Also attract a lot of attention, positive or negative, on social media. Not just the appearances. And you’ve been at the receiving end of it. But again, for everyone, this whole phenomenon of social media trolling becoming excessively personal, sometimes toxic, if I may use that word. People have opinions on someone’s married life, their relationships, how they are in terms of with the other colleagues, etc. So it’s come your way. Does it bother you? And if it does, how do you deal with it?

Alia Bhatt: So, I mean, I said this earlier. I’ve lived my life in the public eye, so I’ve gone through different stages with any sort of scrutiny that maybe I faced. Maybe initially I was a little bit more defensive, you know, younger, you’re a little bit more like, “I did, but why are they saying this?” Maybe later on, I was a little bit more dismissive, like, “Forget it. Nobody cares.” But I think I’ve grown into a person who genuinely feels that I have nothing to complain about, and I don’t think it’s fair the position that I’m in, maybe the privilege that I have… It doesn’t look nice for me to be like, “Oh, I don’t like that people are saying maybe not nice things about me.” I don’t feel that that’s correct, so even though maybe sometimes you don’t want to read nasty things about you or your relationships or your family or your loved ones or anything like that. You don’t want to do it. Nobody enjoys it, but… I’m not going to ever fight with my audience because those people are writing it, they’re my audience. So as long as my movies are doing well and I’m entertaining them.

When I say I’m grateful for all the love, these are the moments that I actually have to show my gratitude. Not only when things are all hunky-dory and people are clapping for me, but maybe when there are no claps and there’s a bunch of trolls, I still have to maintain that gratitude because that came my way, and I am here, who I am, because of the audience. So yes, I also feel it’s important to differentiate between constructive criticism and just endless hate because a person can just look at me and not like my face, and I can’t really do anything about that. So I have to also differentiate between the two. But I also feel we have become extremely sort of subjects of what we see on that screen. I’d rather focus on my daily interactions with people. I’ve never experienced that, any kind of troll upfront. For example, no negativity upfront. So that’s what I choose to focus on, and if there is some chatter, I hope it dies down, and, you know, you kind of move forward. I’m… I’m at the end of the day. I’m a human being, that I’m bound to say maybe four stupid things in public, and people may make fun of that. But I may also say fourteen intelligent things. But sometimes what happens is also kind of negativity travels faster than positivity, but I believe in the larger picture. So I want to only lead every moment with love and kindness, and love conquers all.

Host: Alia, all the very best.

Alia Bhatt: Thank you.

Host: For Jigra and for everything that you decide to do in your future, and thanks a lot for taking out the time.

Alia Bhatt: Thank you. Thank you so much.

Host: Thank you.