Badrinath ki Dulhania has clicked at the box office; Alia Bhatt has hit the bullseye yet again. We caught up on phone with the actress a few days after she turned 24, ahead of the Maybelline New York-Namrata Joshipura show at Amazon India Fashion Week in Delhi. 

Congratulations for Badrinath ki Dulhania! Alia Bhatt continues to make people jealous…

I don’t think that’s the way to put it! I think I continue to keep people smiling.

You just turned 24. Looking back at when Student of the Year released, what do you feel?

I don’t believe in looking back. I don’t believe that works for me. I like just not knowing. I like being unaware and it’s not my job to analyse my work. I am not nonchalant about it, but I don’t take it too seriously either…. I think I have many many, many miles to go.

So you believe in moving on…

Yeah, I think that’s the way to be. I don’t want to feel that I am achieving with every film. I also feel this is the way it’s meant to be… you are supposed to be good in your films. I don’t think I have done something so great. 

Your mom, Soni Razdan, had once told us that ‘Success is a monster.… I hope and pray that she (Alia) does it without it affecting her as a person’. How do you handle success?

I think I have always been told by my parents how easy it is to be the first member of your own fan club… that’s what my father (Mahesh Bhatt) always told me. I totally agree with that. He also told me that there is somebody somewhere out there who’s better than you. If you believe you are the best, then you are obviously not thinking clearly. If I remember that always, I’ll always push myself to work hard. 

Do you think your family has kept you grounded over the years? 

Absolutely! Family, friends… even people I work with… even Karan (Johar). He is my mentor. He is so grounded himself. He is the top director of the country, and he is not just a director… he’s so many more things, yet he is so grounded. He behaves with people so well. 

The first thing we notice about you is your bright smile. What keeps you smiling all the time?

I don’t think there is a mantra to smile all the time. I also think that it is boring if you are constantly smiling because then when you are actually smiling, you are not appreciating. I find joy in little, little things. It could be a good workout or a nice song or playing with my cat or having a nice bite of food… it’s pretty simple. Simple things keep me happy.  

So, Alia Bhatt is a simple girl… 

Pretty much!  

And your Twitter bio says you are ‘Beautifully chaotic :)’. Two opposites residing in you…

Ahhhhhhh... pretty much! (Laughs)

You experiment a lot with fashion, but when in doubt what are you most likely to wear?

Black is always lovely. A black dress, black jeans, black T-shirt… anything in black always works. You can dress it up and down. 

What would you highlight on your face in terms of make-up if you had only that much time?

I think the eyes. Lips are lovely for a summer day. You can put on sunglasses and a nice pop colour of lipstick. When I am going out at night, I love doing my eyes. 

What are you buying yourself this summer?

What’s a must in my wardrobe this summer is not buying any more clothes! I am overflowing. What is a must is spring cleaning!

And 2017 is going to be… 

I have some time off. Actually this year I am going to use the time to do some classes… Kathak, piano. My resolution this year is also to learn how to cook.