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I'll be upset if Ranbir doesn't take me as producer for his directorial debut: Alia

Actress marks her maiden production venture with 'Darlings'

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Bollywood star Alia Bhatt on Monday said she would love to produce the directorial debut of her actor-husband Ranbir Kapoor and would be "upset" if he doesn't ask her to be part of the project.

During the promotions of his latest release "Shamshera", Kapoor had reportedly expressed a desire to try his hand at film direction.

The actor, who will next be seen in "Brahmastra Part One: Shiva" alongside Bhatt, had said he had already written a story during the pandemic-induced lockdown and was scouting for writers to flesh it out.

During the trailer launch of her upcoming film "Darlings", Bhatt's maiden production venture, the actor was asked about the possibility of producing Kapoor's debut directorial.

"We discussed it, in fact. I told him that if you don't make me produce it, I'll be very upset! I told him if you don't want to take me as an actor, that's totally fine, he told me, 'No, no I need you, you're a tyrant', as a joke. I'm a creative producer so I'll give my creative inputs at the writing stage and produce it," she told reporters .

"Darlings" marks the directorial debut of writer Jasmeet K Reen. The Mumbai-set dark comedy will start streaming on Netflix from August 5.

Bhatt has produced the film through her banner Eternal Sunshine Productions, in collaboration with superstar Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment.

The actor, last seen on the big screen in "Gangubai Kathiawadi", said she was surprised with Reen's sharp writing and instantly felt like producing "Darlings".

"When I met Jasmeet in 2019, I had a packed schedule. But I have a habit of taking a narration because you never know where a good script can come from. The narration was pretty normal and suddenly it shifted gears.

"I was right at the edge of the seat and it is rare that I get surprised with a script but it happened with 'Darlings'. Naturally, I thought that I would like to be a producer on this as well," the 29-year-old added.

Bhatt recalled Khan had told her that he generally doesn't co-produce films but made an "exception" for her. The duo had co-starred in "Dear Zindagi", the 2016 coming-of-age drama film.

"He (Khan) said that we will have a lot of fun and enjoy shooting the film. He recently saw the film and in typical 'Darlings' style, he messaged, 'Thanks you Darlings for doing this films'," she said.

"Darlings" stars Bhatt alongside Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew.

According to the official synopsis, the film explores the lives of a mother-daughter duo trying to find their place in the city, "seeking courage and love in exceptional circumstances while fighting against all odds".

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