Alia, welcome to Washington Post Live.

MS. BHATT: Thank you so much. That was a really, really, really kind introduction. Thank you so much.

MR. JORGENSON: Well, I was a fan, and now I’m even a bigger fan, like I said, after watching that film. So I’m going to try to get right to it because I have a lot of questions for you.

But before we get started, a reminder to our audience, we want to hear from you as well. We already started getting questions for you, Alia. But tweet us even more questions at the handle @PostLive. So make sure to tweet @PostLive.

So let’s get to it. Alia, I watched “Darlings.” Like I said, it was‑‑it was unlike anything I’ve experienced before for many reasons. There’s the humor aspect, of course, but the drama itself, and also, I think something I want to get into specifically about how emotional manipulation and how that’s demonstrated on screen. But before we talk about that, I want to know what about the script got you interested in producing this film.

MS. BHATT: Well, it rarely happens that when I start hearing an iteration of a script or I read a script that I’m surprised. I kind of always have a certain sense of where the story is going to lead, and, I mean, I’m entertained by the scenes or the stories taking me forward in some way. And I know‑‑I know what’s going to unfold, but for the first time, I just didn’t know what to expect. And that feeling, the feeling of surprise is a very fun feeling because you feel like, okay, that was not expected, and it intrigues you more.

So from my body language being like‑‑you know, like judgmental, like‑‑just like kind of hearing it, being a little peaceful, I was like‑‑[indicating facial expression of eyes wide open]‑‑like that.

MS. BHATT: Like everything suddenly changed, and I liked that it made me feel that way. I liked that it was a very simple story.

Actually, eventually, I think it comes down to being a mother‑daughter story with all its layers, and we’re talking about a very sensitive team through “Darlings” but touching upon darkness and comedy and darkness and comedy and all of that. But in the heart of it, it’s a mother‑daughter story, and at least, you know, over here in India, it’s been a while since I’ve seen like a really intimate mother‑daughter story.

So I was, okay, fine, let’s do this, and okay, why can’t I produce a film like “Darlings”? And I suggested it to my co‑producer, Red Chillies, and they were totally on board, and in fact, Shah Rukh called me up and said, “You know, I don’t usually do this with other people. I don’t usually co‑produce, but I’m going to do it with you because I love you. And we’re going to have a great time, and it’s going to be amazing.”

MR. JORGENSON: Well, that face you made earlier was my face watching the whole movie. [Indicating facial expression with eyes wide open.] What’s going to happen next?

MR. JORGENSON: And in the best way. Every turn, every time you think it’s going to go left, it goes right.

And in that film, in “Darlings,” you yourself have built a career on taking roles that challenge stereotypes, taboos and other cultural expectations, which is definitely a big part of this film. What do you hope the audiences will take away from watching, you know, making that face, both in and outside of India?

MS. BHATT: Well, I feel like, you know, there can be a certain section of the audience that relates to what these characters are going through. There can be some people who have no idea what they’re going through and actually are totally, like, overwhelmed by it and totally, you know, disturbed.

But, at the same time, I think at the end of the day, what I’m trying‑‑what we’re trying to do and the story that we’re trying to tell through “Darlings” is very, very simple, and without giving too much away and, you know, any spoiler alerts or anything, it’s just through the relationships and through the choices that these characters make. Nobody is really black or white in life, and neither are they in the film. That gray area is a very interesting area, and sometimes through the gray area, you reach very, sort of important poignant moments in your life, and you come to very largess decisions after going through a lot of push and pull. So you get to see a lot of that through the film, a lot of that push and pull, a lot of that shifting of genre.

But, at the end of the day, I think what one will take away is a very simple thought, a big question that we all have on our minds with regards to relationships, and that’s what I hope for people to just sort of gain a little bit of, huh, yeah, that makes sense. We kind of already know it, but sometimes just seeing it in a completely different form is interesting.

MR. JORGENSON: I agree, and I think part of that different form is that, as you said, no character in this is fully black or fully white. There is some nuances, and I think every character, even, you know, arguably the main villain, there’s moments of humor with them as well. So can you talk to me about how you walk that fine line between those very serious topics we’re discussing but also injecting humor, sometimes in the places you least expect there’s humor? Can you talk a little bit more about that?

MS. BHATT: Yes. I think that’s something that we were very aware of in the very beginning because at no point are we taking the subject of‑‑because it does speak about domestic violence, the film, or domestic abuse, at no point are we taking that lightly or we’re making fun of that very, very sensitive issue and very, very important, you know, issue that we actually must talk about and must be extremely sensitive to.

It’s actually not that kind of comedy as well where you’re like, “Ha‑ha, that’s a funny line.” What’s funny is, I guess, the comedy of errors, you know, these really simple, vulnerable, quirky, totally out‑of‑their‑head characters trying to manage a situation, and they think they’re doing a pretty good job at it. But they’re actually failing miserably, and I think that’s what’s funny.

You know, you kind of‑‑you kind of‑‑you feel for them, and I think somebody who can make you laugh a lot can also make you cry a lot, so I love that balance of like really connecting to these characters through their likeness and their quirks but then really, really, you know, feeling for them when they’re in a moment of distress or, you know, when they’re going through like a cathartic experience or something.

So I think that was‑‑as long as we were aware of it whilst making the movie by walking a really tightrope, you know, and dark comedies are hard, you know, genres in general. And working with Jasmeet, my director, who is making her debut as a director was also something like people were like, “Well, you know, it’s a risk, and are you sure you’ll be able to manage it?”

But I think for us, what was most important is just like tell the story authentically. You play the characters from the heart and not try to be too smart or too cool or too edgy or too anything. Just be authentic to the moment, and we should be okay.

MR. JORGENSON: Yeah. In your character, the protagonist, you know, there’s moments where she’s very cool, but then she’s sort of‑‑you know, fumbles for a second, and I think that’s what makes it feel so real as you’re going through this.

You said speaking of people that make you laugh and cry. Your mother in this film is so relatable.

MR. JORGENSON: Can you tell me a little bit about your work with your costars, Shefali Shah, and how you made that very relationship come to life?

MS. BHATT: Well, you know, it’s really strange, but it turns out that Shef and I are exactly the same when it comes to our process as actors, which is we don’t have a process. We just like to discover and live the moment. You know, we’re not somebody who really even goes all out in a rehearsal. We do the rehearsal just for the mechanics, just so that everybody can get an idea of what we’re doing.

But then when we take, we take, and none of our takes are ever the same. So we’re always doing new things. We’re always mixing it up, and that’s something that we discovered like on day one. And I was like, okay, that’s interesting, but that gives a lot of room for magic to happen in the moment without you really constructing it. And this dynamic, as I said earlier, it was really essential that the mother and daughter were friends because that’s the beauty of their relationship in the movie.

I have great admiration and respect for Shef. I think she’s a fantastic actor, but even more so, I think she has such a high emotional quotient. Like her empathy level is like here, and I consider myself very high in my emotional‑‑in my EQ as well. So I think we really hit it off with regards to those things, and it’s not like we were sitting and talking or chatting throughout the shoot on the side and giggling and all of that. We were like do our shot, take our beat, like take a second, come back. You know, it was just very‑‑we had our space, but then in front of the camera, we just sort of went at it, and it was magic.

MR. JORGENSON: It was. I think I laughed the most whenever‑‑pretty much the lines she delivered were very‑‑my wife was kind of in and out of the room while I was watching, and every time she walked by, Shef said something, and she just started laughing.

MR. JORGENSON: So relatable even if you weren’t even fully focused on the film. She’s like, yeah, that’s like my mom, so that was great.

And forgive me here for these pronunciations. I’ll do my best, but, you know, hopefully, I get these right. You worked with industry titans, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, on this film. What was the experience like this time working with them in a production capacity?

MS. BHATT: Well, I know Shah Rukh as an actor. I mean, I know him‑‑I mean, the whole world knows him, and this time collaborating with him as a producer was very different because for the first time, I felt like he literally‑‑just like he’s like, “You know, baby, this is something that we’re doing together, and like I want to give you wings and you fly.” Like, he didn’t‑‑he was there for all the important beats, like the day one, the day ten, the wrap of Shefali wrap, the film wrap. You know, we start the film with a puja. He was there for that. Like, and he would just come unannounced on set and visit and just come and just give us some energy and good luck, and everybody would go into daze because they were like massive fans of his on set.

But the beauty of it was he just really was like, “Okay. Listen, she’s on this journey, and this, you know, young new director, they want to make something.” And Red Chillies as a production has done so many movies. So they just really put all their muscle and, you know, really supported the filmmaking aspect of it logistically because we were also shooting at a very tough time, post the second wave or during the second wave in India. So, you know, there were a lot of restrictions. We were put into a bubble. We had a really tight window to shoot, and we had a lot of, like, cancellations in schedules and all of that. But the beauty of it was that none of that came to me. They handled everything on the side so that I could focus on set and be, you know, creatively flowing and not have any of those logistical things come into my face. So, whilst I was aware of it, I didn’t have to worry about it because they were handling it so beautifully.

MR. JORGENSON: That’s great. Yeah. Well, first of all, you kept busy on this film, but you’ve been on quite a few other films recently. And I want to talk about another role that also challenges gender and social hierarchies. Here’s a clip from that recent film, “Gangubai Kathiawadi,” for our audience. Let’s take a look.

MR. JORGENSON: So a quick synopsis for our audience who hasn’t seen that film. Alia plays a role of an Indian activist who was forced into prostitution as a child, went on to fight for the well‑being of sex workers and orphans, so another just‑‑a role where we’re cheering for Alia throughout the film.

I want to know what attracted you to the role of “Gangubai.” In this male‑dominated industry where roles are often written for men, how have you managed to do these female‑centric films?

MS. BHATT: Well, I think, A, with “Gangubai,” it was a dream to work with my director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who I admired all my life, and when he wanted to make this film with me, in fact, at first, I was a bit shocked because I was meant to do another film with him which didn’t happen. And then this came. So I was like, okay, one second, like I need to‑‑I need to realign my thoughts. Firstly, how am I going to be able to play this part? Like, I’m so tiny, you know, and this woman is like‑‑

MS. BHATT: She needs to be like tough and strong and like overbearing but at the same time like gentle, and people need to like kind of bow down to her. She has sort of like mafia queen energy. So how am I supposed to pull it off?

But he believed in me, and then I believed in me. I think for me, what was most important, that I get that experience with him and I, you know, get a chance to be directed by him. And I think it was the best‑‑and I know it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life because the actor I was before “Gangubai” and the actor I am after “Gangubai” are two completely different people.

So I’m‑‑yeah, I think that was‑‑that’s more than enough reason for me to do a movie, and how I, you know, do female‑oriented films in this male‑‑I don’t know how. I think I just naturally get attracted to characters that are really strong, really layered, vulnerable, and characters that have an arc through the film. I feel like this is something that I naturally gravitate towards, and yes, people may assume that‑‑or may consider it a bit of a risk thinking that, you know, you’re putting that box office pressure on your shoulders or all those things. But I’m like, okay, I’d rather take the hard road than take the easy road, and if I succeed at the hard road, then, you know, I can get a couple of more roads to walk. Like, you never know.

So, yeah, I think for me, it’s just what‑‑it’s a do‑or‑die. Like try, and if you fail, it’s fine, but at least try.

MR. JORGENSON: I think you’ve created many, many roads to walk on, so‑‑which we’ll be following, of course. But, you know, you mentioned that, you know, you might be small, but can you fill this‑‑I think, first of all, you’re filling the screen with your charisma, but I also think in that clip that we watched, we‑‑the way it’s shot, it’s depicting you as a powerful woman, and I think that’s really, really cool to watch. And I think that’s clearly the direction of it has created this space where we see this really strong protagonist.

Do you think that Bollywood has changed recently in how it depicts women?

MS. BHATT: It has. It has, and I think that the thing is there was always a hint of it and maybe even like very, very strong characters for women were written like even like two decades ago, you know. There was “Mother India.” There was‑‑you know, there were so many beautiful movies led by really strong, very, very impactful actors and actresses of our‑‑you know, of Indian cinematic history that have left such a strong mark in just, you know, the filmography of all films put together, male, female, all of that.

But I think maybe we lost it a bit in the middle, and there was a bit of a lull where there was a particular kind of film made a lot, and maybe women were just not being offered those roles, or roles were just not being written. And I think it just started maybe to snowball a bit when one film with a woman, you know, led by a woman did really well, then another, then another, then another. So then it was just something that it just started happening, and because of that, writers, directors started getting that confidence to also invest in stories like that, because how long are you going to tell the same kind of story or the same‑‑you can’t have the same kind of hero in every story. You have to mix it up a little bit and try to make it a little different.

And I think that’s what started happening, and now with‑‑you know, with platforms like Netflix, and I think there has been a whole new lease of like a whole‑‑like a whole new lease of life given to so many actors in their mid‑40s, mid‑50s, mid‑60s. Like, I know my mom wouldn’t have‑‑like, you know, because she’s been an actor all her life, and she’s done a lot of theater, a lot of television, worked in a couple of movies as well. But you reach a point where people stopped writing characters for women of a certain age. Now because of content becoming so broad, there are those characters written for women of any age, and in fact, there is so many more‑‑there are so many more stories to tell. So I think in that sense, it’s a really good time to be an actor, and I’m sure every actor would agree.

MR. JORGENSON: Yeah. And especially now as a producer as well, you get to help dictate some of these stories and bring more of them to life.

And we have a Twitter question directly related to that. It is from Sagar, S‑a‑g‑a‑r, and they ask, what are your learnings from being a first‑time producer that you will keep in mind as you build the production house?

MS. BHATT: Hmm. I think my learning‑‑I mean, there are many learnings, but I think one of the most important learnings is that don’t rush into anything because sometimes what happens is you feel like you’re pressed for time for some weird reason that you need to get something out there because, like, oh, no, let’s not wait. And you do a lot of things in a hurry as a result.

So I think one of the things that I’ve learned is that you take your time, and even if it takes double the time, it’s fine because at the end of the day, what you put out there is most important. So, yeah, that has been my biggest learning like not to rush through anything creative.

MR. JORGENSON: That’s great. And earlier you mentioned your mom, but let’s talk about you and your husband who have had quite a year. Congrats on the wedding and the baby.

MS. BHATT: Thank you so much.

MR. JORGENSON: We got a little montage for you.

MS. BHATT: Oh, that’s so cute.

MR. JORGENSON: So do you think this‑‑excuse me. You are both co‑leads in a new project which will come out on Disney+ next month, so streaming is becoming a bigger and bigger thing. Can you talk to us about how the entertainment industry has shifted in recent years? Do you think this is why more films are able to, quote/unquote, “go global”?

MS. BHATT: So this film actually hits the theaters next month and will subsequently come on the Disney platform as well.

MS. BHATT: But, yeah, in general, I think, yeah, you can say that there are now two phases of film release, you know, a film that releases on theatrical and then the one that releases‑‑and the same film that releases on a streaming platform. And when it releases on a streaming platform, it gets like a whole new like boom, new release. Like, there’s a whole new energy that sort of comes towards the film.

So earlier shelf life of a film would be like maybe four to six weeks at least in the last whatever, seven or eight years, and now because of all the streaming platforms, the shelf life is at least like two to three months, which is‑‑which is‑‑or even longer, for example. I mean, what I mean by two, three months is that in terms of its‑‑the energy or the attention that is given to the movie, but your film is sitting there. And even now I have people talking to me about watching “Gangubai” on Netflix or watching “RRR” on Netflix and, you know, like loving it and feeling so excited about it.

So, yeah, I mean, for me, I always believe the more‑‑the more content, the merrier. The more content, the better. But it’s also the longer life for a content, the merrier, you know. It’s‑‑yeah, it’s just like such a long shelf life, which makes it‑‑which makes it so much more exciting.

MR. JORGENSON: I feel the same way. You know, I love the theater‑‑

MS. BHATT: It’s also helps the competition, actually.

MR. JORGENSON: Say that again?

MS. BHATT: It also helps the competition, you know‑‑

MR. JORGENSON: Oh, of course.

MS. BHATT: ‑‑like you have to really‑‑yeah, because there’s so much content out there. So you have to really‑‑like you have to really make sure that your content is good, which is‑‑which is great. I mean, a good competition is always good.

MR. JORGENSON: Yes. And I think you’re competing quite well.

But, yeah, I’m glad that you also get a theater release because I enjoy that experience going to theaters, but it’s also great what can be accessible to everyone, especially on a global level, which I want to ask you a little bit more about.

Your father is a big and longtime Bollywood producer. So you’ve kind of been in this industry for a while or been aware of it for a while. How is streaming changing Indian entertainment and is allowing for more room for creative storytelling?

MS. BHATT: Well, so, basically, the understanding is that like a certain kind of film just works best in a theater because of the scale and the mounting of the project and the visuals, right? It’s a larger‑than‑life‑‑

MS. BHATT: ‑‑cinematic experience, which is irreplaceable. So going to a theater is not going to change.

But there is a certain intimate watch, intimate storytelling that may not see such a wide range of people coming out there to watch the film. India is a massive country, but everyone‑‑getting everyone together and in large numbers to watch a movie is really hard because you really need to reach out to that mass, you know, commercial audience, and for that, sometimes you need to cut your storytelling down by something. You need to piece it up by somewhere. You can’t have a certain‑‑you can’t take a certain direction, you know. You’re kind of not‑‑you’re not restricted, but yes, that kind of storytelling cannot go very intimate.

So I think what’s interesting is that you have, of course, the big spectacle and the tentpole movies which are massive [unclear] and which we‑‑which we can wait for, but then you have the smaller intimate movies like a film like “Darlings” or like‑‑or like a TV show or like a limited series. Content like that goes to an OTT platform, and that’s where we are living in two worlds, right? We have the big stuff, and we also have the intimate stuff. And I like that balance because sometimes I may not want to watch a really loud, massive, visual spectacle. I want to watch like a slice‑of‑life movie or a sweet love story or, you know, a story about, you know, owner and his dog. You know what I mean? Like, I feel like it’s‑‑there is a range of ideas and stories that we can tell, and yeah. I can see a clear sort of differentiation coming, both these‑‑both these modes of entertainment.

MR. JORGENSON: Right. Well, I made a lot of TikToks with my dog if you want to watch any of those. They’re a little bit more slice of life, but, you know, maybe later.

MR. JORGENSON: You did mention something about two worlds, and that makes me‑‑I would also say there’s almost two worlds in Bollywood and Hollywood. I know you have this upcoming project that is largely a Hollywood project with Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. I googled it. We can’t find anything about it. It’s all under wraps. So you can’t tell us much about the film itself, but we do have an audience question from Tanya in New Jersey. And she wants to know, what has been the biggest difference between working in Hollywood versus Indian films?

MS. BHATT: The biggest difference. I’m not sure because, honestly, I find it really similar, and I think for me in this experience, the biggest difference was being with a completely new crew, not having my, like, regular team that I’m so used to. Like, I went totally like‑‑you know, I dropped out of my comfort zone and went into this whole new massive world, shooting like this action movie, and I was‑‑it was really exciting.

But I don’t see‑‑I mean, for me, the only difference would be speaking in like over here I speak in Hindi, and in Hollywood, I speak in English. But that’s like that was the only major, major difference. Otherwise, the function‑‑the set functions the same way. Eventually, we’re all working towards one vision, which is the director’s vision, and pulling together, feeling the energy of like hard work is the same. Maybe the number of hours is different. Like, in India, we shoot 12‑hour days. Where I shot, we shot 10‑hour days. I mean, that’s like, I mean, small, like little details. But other than that, like, I didn’t see much of a difference.

MR. JORGENSON: Well, that’s good. I think the end product ends up being the same thing, which is just something that you get immersed and you want to watch and enjoy it, so that’s what’s most important.

MR. JORGENSON: So it’s talking in Hollywood and Bollywood still. In Hollywood, it’s really common for actors to speak about political issues or take up these big causes. Whereas, in Bollywood, you know, people often speak about more global issues like Black Lives Matter. But why do you think Indian actors are more hesitant to talk about more local issues in India?

MS. BHATT: Well, I think that it’s something that is extremely sensitive, and I feel from time to time, a lot of your‑‑a lot of what you see, a lot of the opinions that the actors have given in the past have been maybe misconstrued or misreported or it’s just sort of blown out of proportion in a very‑‑in a very wrong way. So sometimes it’s just better to keep, you know, a lot of that to yourself.

Everyone has opinions. I mean, we can’t change that. The world is going to have opinions, and we have opinions as well, and one will continue to have them. But there are so many opinions out there right now that I feel that the world can do with one less opinion, and you sort of make your politics or your values or your causes very clear with the kind of work that you do. Like, your work speaks for itself as opposed to you going out there, because sometimes it’s just like one line without any context that’s just splashed about. There’s no responsibility even with the words that you‑‑you know, that you give with regards to something that you feel passionate about or something that you feel very strongly about.

So I think it’s sort of happened over the years, where I think at least for me personally‑‑I can’t speak for the rest‑‑I just choose to kind of do my work and speak through my work and not really get into speaking in between. Yeah.

MR. JORGENSON: That makes sense, and my opinion, personally, is that I wish these interviews were longer than a half hour, but we are out of time. So, Alia Bhatt, thank you so much for joining us today.

MR. JORGENSON: And best of luck with the new film.

MS. BHATT: Thank you so much.

MR. JORGENSON: Thank you.

And thanks to all of you for watching. To check out what interviews we have coming up, please head to WashingtonPostLive.com to register and find more information about our upcoming programs.

I’m Dave Jorgenson. Thanks again for joining us today.