In an interview with Elle US, actress Alia Bhatt recently opened up about her parents, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actor Soni Razdan. Alia said that though people associate her father with his success, he also struggled. She recalled the time he was "battling an addiction to alcohol."
She said, "He had a bunch of flops at one point; he barely had any money, and he was battling an addiction to alcohol. He eventually gave up drinking, but things were still very up and down with his life and work. My parents struggled to get to a point where I could enjoy their privilege. I do recognise that. If tomorrow I don't do well and I stop getting films, I'll still always acknowledge the fact that I got such great opportunities, so I can never really complain."
The 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani' actress said about Soni, "My mother came from nowhere and didn't know how she was going to make it. She had no connection to films and went from theaters to film studios to television studios to audition. She also couldn't speak Hindi well, so that was difficult for her. She never became a mainstream heroine. But she worked very hard. People say you just need to work hard and you'll make it, but that's not true."
Alia added that Soni's experience made a "big impact" on her, making her aware of her privilege from an early age. She also said that Soni was always preparing her - from advising her on punctuality and patience to helping her develop a thick skin "either for rejection or for what people will be saying" about her.