Bollywood star Alia Bhatt chose to deliver her opening remarks in Hindi in her first-ever appearance as a Bafta presenter at the 79th British Academy Film Awards in London on Sunday.

“Namaskar. Agla award ek aisi film ke liye hai jo Angrezi mein nahin hai,” Alia said before announcing the winner in the ‘Film Not in the English Language’ category.

With a cheeky smile, she added, “Don’t reach for the subtitles just yet,” before translating her Hindi remarks into English for the international audience.

She underscored her approach with a powerful message: “I was just saying in Hindi that the next award is for a film not in the English language. Because while films speak in countless voices, what we always celebrate is the language of cinema. And that one, we all speak fluently.”