Mahesh Bhatt recently shared his thoughts on the acting talent in his family, saying that his wife Soni Razdan is, in his eyes, a better actor than their daughter Alia Bhatt. The filmmaker also praised Soni’s depth and subtle style while also recalling moments when Alia’s performances surprised him.
Soni Razdan’s acting talent
In conversation with Indian Express, Mahesh Bhatt said, “I find Soni Razdan a better actor than Alia. You’d wonder why I’m saying that? But her idiom is so evolved that even as her life partner, I couldn’t give her enough roles because her style of expression, body language, and nuances are not what we call mainstream India. But she was very well cast in Songs of Paradise. But you should watch the show she did for BBC (Neighbours). She also did a brilliant performance in Sanjoy Nag’s Yours Truly (2018), in which I did a cameo. That was the time when Alia was giving back-to-back smash hits like Udta Punjab (2016). I told her, “Alia, before you develop a pride that there’s no better actor than you, go watch your mother’s film.” She’s a smart girl, so she watched the film. Soni is like that banyan tree whose scent of stillness gets automatically conveyed onto the big screen. It’s a magic that I haven’t been able to get over.”
On Alia Bhatt’s potential
In another interview with Humans Of Bombay, Bhatt revealed how Alia Bhatt’s potential surprised him. “She astounded me. I did not think she was capable of this. She astounded me in Highway. She astounded me in Udta Punjab… She astounded me again and again,” he said, adding that the credit for Alia and her sister Shaheen’s upbringing goes largely to Soni Razdan.“She always wanted to be an actress. She never thought of anything else. Even today, after motherhood, her passion for acting remains unquenched,” Bhatt added.
