With Raazi’s release, we cannot help but pat Alia Bhatt on the back for her recent choice of movies and roles. The actor, who began her career with Karan Johar directed Student of the Year, has definitely come a long way!
You might think I’m slightly weird for saying this — hey! you can’t blame me for the selective Bollywood that I was exposed to as a child! — but the Raazi trailer reminded me a lot of the Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta starer The Hero: Love Story of a Spy.
Don’t know what in the world I am talking about? Remember the song ‘Dil main hai pyar tera hoton pe gitwa’ sung by Udit Narayan? No? Jog your memories, y’all!
The Hero tells the story of Reshma (Zinta), who is trained by RAW agent Arun Sharma (Deol), and sent undercover across the border to Pakistan.
In a similar vein, we have Raazi, directed by Meghna Gulzar of the Talvar (2015) fame. Set in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, Raazi traces the life of an Indian undercover spy married to a Pakistani officer (Vicky Kaushal).
Besides the plot, there is one other uniting factor between the movies: Two strong women characters, played by two youth icons of their respective times.
Taking on the Internet, One Role at a Time!
Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, it was impossible not to love Preity Zinta.
Kya Kehna (2000) might be heavily spoofed, thanks to Kanan Gill and Biswa Kalyan’s Pretentious Film Reviews, but hey! The movie did talk about teenage pre-marital pregnancy at the turn of the century!
Talking of spoofs, Alia Bhatt has had an unfair share of Internet trolling, owing to an ancient slip — seriously internet, get over it! — on Koffee With Karan about the President of India.
The same Bhatt has given us performances like Veera in Highway (2014) — a movie about the silence surrounding sexual abuse — and Mary Jane/Kumari Pinky/Bauria in Udta Punjab (2016) — a movie about rampant drug abuse by young people in Punjab.
While we thought that Bhatt had already shut up trolls on the internet with her award-winning performances, out she comes with another role in Raazi!
Roles That Make Us Go #RelateForLife
Raazi is only one reason to love Bhatt. Bhatt, like Zinta, has played some diverse roles and very early in her career too!
Like Naina in Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) and Ambar in Salaam Namaste (2005), Alia’s portrayals of Ananya in 2 States (2014) and Kaira in Dear Zindagi (2016) have made social media collectively go #RelateForLife.
Who hasn’t had too much to drink and danced to ‘It’s the Time to Disco’ like Naina or felt cheated in love like Kaira?
Desi Radha’s Balanced Moves
While its true that Bhatt has made some questionable movie choices, but even in movies like Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Shaandaar, she has catered to the demand of the audiences for fun and bubbly roles.
Bhatt seems to have mastered the art of balance. Also, look at those dance moves! This Radha is not afraid to move her desi body.
What’s more at the age of 25, Alia has managed to stay afloat amidst all the pressures that are part and parcel of the film industry. I say that’s quite a feat!
From Student of the Year to Raazi, it has been quite a journey.
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