It was on Karan Johar’s recommendation that Alia Bhatt had been offered the female lead in S.S. Rajamouli’s weirdly titled RRR. On her part, the actress eagerly grabbed the opportunity to work with one of her “dream directors” in the hope that her presence would be justified by an enhanced screen space for her character.
But now, it looks like Alia, who plays only strong author-backed roles in Hindi cinema, has no more to do than participate in one song and a few dialogues.
A source in the know says, “Alia was very keen to work with Rajamouli, but it turns out that the heroine’s role could have been done by any Telugu actress. It has no substance. The film is all about the two heroes, Ramcharan Teja and NTR Jr. If a Bollywood star of Alia’s stature came on board, it is only natural that the feminine dynamics would improve for the better. They didn’t. Alia is just a prop in RRR.”
So much so that the actress may only get a “guest appearance” tag in the film. Meanwhile, Alia, who’s working with the crème de la crème of Bollywood and had specially learnt Telugu for her role in RRR, is unfazed by the happenings. “When I came into the movies, I had two names on my directors’ wish list — Sanjay Leela Bhansali and S.S. Rajamouli. I am working with both. What more could I ask for?” says Alia.
