A brief note on the twelve years of impactful characters that have resonated with audiences of different age groups. Looking forward to many more memorable acts and movies
Alia, you stormed into the viewers hearts with your abundant cuteness on October 19th, year 2012. There was little indication of the powerhouse actress who would capture the viewers hearts in the coming times. Excluding the special appearances, you have done 20 movies so far leaving a significant impact.
Through your characters you have represented different facets of a modern woman. For example, in Dear Zindagi you played an ambitious cinematographer going through a midlife crisis. The turbulent nature of Kiara and the anxieties that she goes through is something that numerous modern women can relate with. The final triumph of Kiara when she finally makes her short movie feels personal.
In Badrinath Ki Dulhania you played a small-town girl Vaidehi with dreams of being an air hostess. The persistence of Vaidehi in achieving her goal and how she doesn’t give a damn about the society’s thinking was brilliant to watch. Also, the line where Vaidehi talks about self-respect being more important than love and eventually marrying Badri only after he changes completely was well written and enacted.
Apart from representing the different facets of a modern woman your characters have also covered different societal issues. For example, Darlings was flawed yet an important movie on the topic of domestic abuse. Your character of Badru represented all the housewives who put up with their husband’s abusive behavior hoping they would change one day. How Badru undergoes a transformation taking things into her own hands was exciting to watch even though the transition was a little abrupt. Kudos to you for backing this movie as a debutant producer.
In the latest production Jigra you pushed the envelope further by playing the role of a very protective sister. The grey shades along with emotional intensity of Satyabhama aka Satya was a treat to watch. Apart from the prison break aspect Jigra also talked about the delayed justice system that force innocent prisoners to take things into their own hands. How sometimes anarchy is the best solution to fight against the system came out wonderfully in the brilliantly shot prison riot. After Darlings and the Malayalam web series Poacher you once again showed your penchant for backing up interesting subjects.
This short note wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the national award-winning turn in Gangubai. In Gangubai your character Ganga aka Gangu represents those girls duped by their lovers and have no option other than to become a sex worker. Your empathetic act represented all those sex workers who like us are also humans with normal feelings and desires.