Alia Bhatt has been carving a legacy for herself quietly as an actor, entrepreneur, producer and now a storyteller with her daughter Raha and husband Ranbir Kapoor in tow. And the one thing she wants to steer off is to put pressure on her daughter along the way. The actor says she believes every kid is born with a distinctive personality, and she wants Raha to find her own.

Alia welcomed Raha in November 2022, following which she took her own time to bring her daughter in front of the paparazzi. She officially introduced Raha to the media on Christmas in 2023. In an interview with Hindustan Times, the actor reveals that she has always trusted her instincts as a mother.

On her instinct as a mother

“When it comes to the legacy that I envisioned as an actor and a mother, I don't think it has been calculated from my side. The choices I make as a mother are also very instinctive to what I feel is best for my child,” Alia tells us, adding, “I am very meticulous, but I can also be very random. So I'm kind of a mix of both”.

And the actor wants her daughter to find her own personality as she grows up.

“I do believe children are born with their own personality. You just have to nurture and care for them and let them find their own feet. Let them be their own person. I don't think I want her (Raha) to ever be any version of herself that she doesn't feel most comfortable with,” adds the actor, who shares her daughter with her actor husband, Ranbir.

On building her legacy

Stepping outside the entertainment world, the actor founded an apparel brand, Ed-a-Mamma, in 2020, embarking on an entrepreneurial journey. Now, she has started a new chapter of her life by turning into a storyteller. Recently, she launched her first children's picture book, Ed finds a Home, which is the beginning of a new series of books from the universe.

She is also set to play super agent along with Sharvari in the first female-led movie from YRF Spy Universe. Shiv Rawail will direct the film.

“I do have certain values. I may not necessarily play that in every character because I feel what you do as a character and as an actor is very different as to what choices you make as an individual in your real life. That’s the magic and fun of movie making,” she asserts.

That being said, Alia shares that, “The films that I produce or the films I naturally choose, always have an underlying layer of some theme that I feel very strongly for. It can be something to do with women empowerment or with family values, something to do with being kind to one another, something to do with love and protection, or something to do with being flawed as a human”.

“I'm picking up different themes that I naturally get attracted to. Sometimes I pick up a film which I don't understand. Because that's something that I find very fascinating. So, it is not calculated,” says the actor, who will next be seen in Jigra.

She picks an example to explain her thoughts, “Like, when you think of Shah Rukh Khan, you think of love, a smile comes on your face and your heart gets full”.

“That can’t be calculated. It's just felt.. I can't calculate what legacy I want to leave behind. I just hope that when people think of me, they can feel something,” she exclaims on a candid note.

On turning a storyteller

Her first children's book, Ed Finds A Home, comes with a focus on inspiring love for nature in the coming generation. This is Ed-a-Mamma's first venture into the field of publishing, in tandem with Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Random House India. She worked with Vivek Kamath, Shabnam Minwalla and Tanvi Bhat on the book.

Talking about the venture, Alia shares, “The book actually started way back, way prior to the pandemic. It dates back to when I started the initiative of Coexist with an endeavour to encourage positive relationship between man and planet… I realised that my main focus in life will always be to tell stories. And I thought it is important to start with a simple impactful story for kids, which consume when you're very young,” she ends.

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