With the promotions of her October 22 film Shaandaar on in full swing, Alia Bhatt is one busy girl. But if there’s one thing the Bollywood cutie always finds time for it is a hop, skip and jump to the gym. A t2 chat with Alia...

You’re sporting a moustache in the Gulaabo song from Shaandaar! Were you nervous or excited about it?

See, Gulaabo is that kind of a song which requires you to channel your male energy. Shahid (Kapoor) and I are dancing to that kind of a song where all of us, including the female dancers in the background, are dressed in menswear and are sporting a moustache. And there’s a reason behind it. So I feel that when you are going to dress like a man, you have to go all out. One can’t only say that ‘I will wear the clothes aur moustache nahin pehnungi’. There has to be some kind of a quirk factor to it and I think that is what has made Gulaabo so interesting. 
Also, the very fact that I will be getting to wear a moustache for the first time was so exciting and so cool! That and getting to dance with that kind of a male authority and energy.... I was all game!

And the much-talked-about bikini scene... did you need a pep talk for it?

Not at all! The bikini bit was there because director Vikas Bahl said that there’d be a beach shot where I’d be required to wear a bikini. I didn’t even know how much of a shot it was, I just agreed to it and then worked my ass off for it. I had to do justice to it. And when Vikas saw the result, he immediately declared that I had to show the hard work that went into it. However, the scene is not like a typical bikini shot. It’s not done in a way to show off the girl’s stomach or her curves. It’s a very basic shot that has me wearing it and walking in it, just like any other girl would. 

But your body looks fab! What’s your workout regimen? 

At that time, I was doing a combination of a lot of cardio and functional weight training. I was training with Yasmin Karachiwala for pilates and Prashant Sawant was weight-training me. After a point of time, I gave up weight training. Actually I mix up my workout because I don’t want to get bored of the regimen. Like right now I am doing a lot of pilates and not weights, but I’ll probably pick it up again in a few months. 

Then, is there anything that’s your least favourite about working out?

You know now, for me, workout has become an addiction! Because if I don’t sweat it out in the gym at least once a day, I end up feeling really lethargic for the rest of it. So even I have to be at hair and make-up by 9am, I wake up at 6.30am and am in the gym by 7.45am, and then proceed to work out for at least an hour. No matter what happens, it’s gym-time once a day for me!

So you’re a good girl! But are you a trainer’s favourite or is there something to grumble about? 

When Yas grumbles, it is ‘Alia, please, no more! Just go home!’ (Laughs) I’m one person who always wants to train. However, I know for a fact that even if it’s two in the morning or afternoon, she’ll be there. 

Being a workout addict, what’s the one myth you have busted?

One thing I realised is that if you overdo the workout, it doesn’t help. People think that if they work out for hours at a stretch, it will help them more. But I work out for just 90 minutes every day. What I’ve realised is most important is how you treat your body after the workout. Because that is when the muscles are being generated, that is when your body is doing all the work. So if you aren’t giving your body enough rest and sleep, all the work that you put in goes to waste. 

What’s your advice for us lazy gymmers? 

Honestly, I feel that it’s not about looking good from the outside that you should take back but feeling good from the inside. That is what a workout does. So if gymming is not your thing, play a sport, go for a walk, go swimming. You can’t help but feel better. 

Workout and a good body aside, what is the secret to a clean face?

You need to eat well and cleanse yourself by drinking lots of water, you have to do the same thing for your face. I feel the Garnier Pure Active Neem + Tulsi High Foaming Face Wash eradicates germs not only from the surface but even the harmful ones that are deeper inside. 

While campaigning for this product, you also took a few girls on a bus ride...

Oh, it’s a very cool concept. There were 10 girls with me on the bus and the idea was to embrace the outdoors… embrace the air, even if there is pollution. Because we have a solution to the pollution. We have a face wash that eradicates all the germs. Honestly, it was a lot of fun ya… there were lots of activities, we took pictures and did a few Dubsmashes. And the best part was that I hadn’t been on a bus in quite a while! 

Hope you hop on to one in Calcutta the next time you’re here!

You know the last time I came to Calcutta with Varun (Dhawan), we jumped on top of a taxi and that’s something that I will not forget! It was like embracing Calcutta and its heart. And things like this are something that I love doing. So hopefully when I come down for Shaandaar, this time I will rope Shahid in and do all the crazy things! I just love Calcutta. 

Do you look up to Alia Bhatt? Why? Tell t2@abp.in