At the Prime Video Presents: International Originals event, where Don’t Be Shy was the only Indian title showcased, Alia Bhatt opened up about the creative thinking behind the upcoming film. The actor-producer spoke about the kind of cinema that influenced her growing up and how those early experiences continue to shape her choices as a producer.

Alia Bhatt recalls cutting her hair after watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai while speaking about Don’t Be Shy

During the conversation, Alia reflected on the impact of iconic Hindi films, particularly Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and how emotionally resonant storytelling has stayed with her over the years. She explained that creating characters who feel real and relatable is central to her approach with Don’t Be Shy, which is backed by her banner Eternal Sunshine Productions.

Talking about character journeys and emotional connect, Alia Bhatt shared, “What I love about movies and movie making in general is it has it’s got this sort of nice grazing table of different characters that you connect with and that move you in different ways, and what I love about Don’t Be Shy is that each character has a specific arc which is all entangling and coming together in the most like sort of natural chaotic fun filmy way. I use this word filmy very unabashedly because I love that feeling, because it’s all pretty filmy in its own new beats but when that happens that combination of feeling for ‘x’ and for ‘y’ and for ‘z’ and finally see them all meet their journey it almost leads me at the end of the film wanting to know where their life took off after that.”

Drawing from her own viewing experiences, she added, “I always think about – what happened to Rahul and Anjali, where did they land up and how are they today? So when you get so well acquainted with the characters like they are your own people, I think that there’s no better feeling than that. So, that is our intention as well with Don’t Be Shy which is to give you a bunch of characters that you connect with and that you’re curious about.”

Reflecting further on cinema’s influence, she said, “There is that one movie you grow up with which becomes your reference point, the songs that you continue to dance to, the clothes that you remember. I remember when I saw a film like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I went and cut my hair short. I wanted to be like Kajol. So that’s the kind of impact it had on me. So we need to give the young audience that film too.”

Produced by Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt under Eternal Sunshine Productions and co-produced by Grishma Shah and Vikesh Bhutani, Don’t Be Shy is written and directed by Sreeti Mukerji. The film is set to premiere exclusively on Prime Video across India and in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

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