At the 78th Cannes Film Festival, Bollywood star Alia Bhatt spoke of her admiration for Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil and her desire to work with him. “Fahadh Faasil is someone that I really admire. And he’s such a fantastic actor. I think Aavesham was one of my favourite films, and he was just unreal. So I would love to collaborate with him someday,” she shared in an interview with Brut.
Alia also highlighted the increasing visibility of regional cinema through streaming platforms. “The pandemic taught me we’re all one unit, and now with global platforms, everyone gets to view everything: Korean, Japanese, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Kannada content. There’s this amazing availability of diverse perspectives,” she said, citing her recent discovery of the Oscar-winning animated film Flow as an example. Reflecting on her own experience, Alia praised Roshan Mathew, with whom she shared screen space in Darlings. “He’s a wonderful actor from the Malayalam industry who’s now making waves in Hindi,” she said, underscoring her appreciation for the talent coming from Malayalam cinema.
Attending Cannes as a L'Oréal Paris ambassador, Alia reflected on her evolving craft and the changes motherhood has brought. “I am a writer’s daughter. I live in a family of writers- my mum, my dad, and my sister,” she noted. Speaking about motherhood, she added, “It feels as though you’re never alone... Your world from being inward just becomes outward, to that one person.” When asked about her approach to choosing roles, Alia said she doesn’t stick to a single genre. “I don’t look at categories like commercial or unconventional. I go with what it’s going to do for me as an actor,” she said. She also commented on the global rise of Indian cinema, describing it as a “dam waiting to burst”, full of cultural richness and potential.
On women in the industry, Alia said, “I want us to exist in a world where women having certain opportunities is just the way it is.” She praised the power of sisterhood and the importance of lifting each other up. Meanwhile, the actor’s red carpet appearance at Cannes in Gucci’s Swarovski-studded “saree” turned heads and sparked admiration online, with many praising her bold fusion of global couture with traditional elements.