Alia Bhatt Has No Entourage, Says Jigra Director Vasan Bala: ‘Next Film Mein Band Bajegi’ – News18

Last Updated:December 28, 2024, 01:22 IST

Vasan Bala praises Alia Bhatt’s talent, saying her intuitive skills spoil directors for their future projects.

Filmmaker Vasan Bala recently opened up about his experience working with Alia Bhatt in the action-drama Jigra. While the film marked their first collaboration, Vasan was all praise for the actress, revealing how her impeccable work ethic and talent make her an ideal actor to work with—but also one that sets a high bar for directors’ future projects.

In a conversation with Mashable India, Bala reflected on their time on the set of Jigra. Recalling a rare light moment during an otherwise intense shoot, Vasan said, “I clearly remember this day. Because our film was so intense, we barely laughed on sets and I was quiet in my director zone. Usually, sets are funny, but this film lacked humour so the environment on the set used to remain quite serious. This one day, we had a lighter day and we were just chit-chatting and laughing.”

Praising Alia’s professionalism and intuitive grasp of a director’s vision, Bala stated, “I think every director who I love should get an opportunity to work with Alia Bhatt. They will be spoilt and then unki agli film mein band bajegi (they will suffer in their next film).” He elaborated, “She has no entourage, nothing, she is always ready. Sometimes I didn’t even have to communicate how I want a scene; a gesture from my end would be enough for her to understand what I needed in that shot.”

However, Jigra was not without its controversies. In an earlier interview with Tried and Refused Productions, Vasan shared his apprehension about how the project began. He revealed that he had sent a rough script draft to Karan Johar, who immediately forwarded it to Alia Bhatt without giving him a chance to revise it. “I had written a very kachha pakka email, stream of consciousness thoughts… sent it to Karan and 6-7 hours later, he called saying that I have already sent it to Alia, and I was really not happy with it,” he said.

When questioned, Vasan said he had asked Karan why the draft wasn’t edited first. “I was like I would have at least done some spell check, grammar check, hygiene, written some very nice hero entry… That email was sent and I asked Karan, ‘Why did you do this?’ He said, ‘No, no this is how it works. Then he said we’ll meet in a couple of days.’”

The misstep garnered criticism online, prompting both Bala and Karan Johar to address the issue publicly and clarify the misunderstanding.

Despite the anticipation, Jigra, which also starred Vedang Raina, failed to create an impact at the box office.