Alia Bhatt’s accent challenge

Alia Bhatt’s latest challenge is to slip into an earthy Marathi character’s skin and diction for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai.

The spirited young actress clearly loves posing challenges for herself — In Abhishek Choubey’s Udta Punjab, Alia was cast as a rural Bihari migrant. Now for Bhansali’s Gangubai, Alia has to master the Marathi diction and accent.

A source close to project reveals, “Alia has to get as earthy and colloquial as it can get. The Maharashtrian woman she plays in Gangubai uses a lot of foul language and Alia would probably have to learn words she has never heard before. But she’s game.”

A language coach is working with Alia on a daily basis to train her voice in the nuances of Marathi.