"It feels like I've lived a decade in six months," says Alia Bhatt, for whom the year 2022 is turning out to be a rollercoaster ride with many firsts along the way.
The Bollywood star started the year with a blockbuster in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Gangubai Kathiawadi" and got married to her longtime partner Ranbir Kapoor in April.
She then jetted off to the UK to film her Hollywood debut "Heart of Stone", co-starring Gal Gadot, and before returning to India, Bhatt dropped the news that she is expecting her first child.
As she promotes her maiden production venture "Darlings", the 29-year-old actor said she hasn't had the time to "process" the milestones her life is crossing.
"It feels like I've lived a decade in six months. I don't think you ever really process what's happening when it's happening. In retrospect, you're like 'Oh my God that happened at this time and this also happened at that time'. I'm actually a quiet person, I may seem very chatty, but I'm really quiet, so I'm a lot in my head," the actor told PTI.
Bhatt, who is also gearing up for the release of her big screen spectacle "Brahmastra Part One: Shiva", said the only way to describe the current phase of her life is "beautifully chaotic".
But amidst all the chaos, her focus is mostly on "health, happiness and balance", the actor added.
"A lot has happened and is happening to me, obviously. So I am processing whilst I'm going. The two words that totally define my life are beautifully chaotic. I love the chaos but there's so much beauty in it as well.”
"I'm grateful for what's happening. But only health, happiness and balance is on my mind right now. Maybe in the future I'll look back and wonder, 'That was one hell of a year'," the actor said.
Headlined by Bhatt and Shefali Shah, who play a mother-daughter duo, "Darlings" marks the directorial debut of writer Jasmeet K Reen.
The dark comedy is produced by Bhatt through her banner Eternal Sunshine Productions in collaboration with superstar Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment.
Bhatt said the decision to turn producer with the film was "organic". What also helped was what her filmmaker father Mahesh Bhatt told her that it's about time she empowers other artistes through her work.
"My father said this to me that for how long are you going to constantly fuel your own car? You've to fuel other cars as well. Why don't you use the position that you're in to start helping other people's stories and lives come to life.”
"As a production house, Eternal will focus on getting newer talent an opportunity and bringing their stories to the forefront," she added.
Also starring Vijay Verma and Roshan Matthew, "Darlings" is set to release on Netflix on August 5.
