Bollywood Actress Alia Bhatt is set to join the cast of Netflix’s “Heart of Stone,” as she makes her global debut opposite Gal Gadot. Bhatt is already one of the biggest movie stars in India, having won four FilmFare Awards. Her recent outing, “Gangubai Kathiawadi,” directed by the legendary Sanjay Leela Bhansali secured the third biggest opening last weekend and the biggest non-holiday opening for a Bollywood film since the start of the pandemic. The film will release globally on Netflix this spring and has received great reviews singling out her performance in the title role.
Her 2019 film “Gully Boy,” directed by Zoya Akhtar, premiered at that year’s Berlin Film Festival and has become an international hit, grossing over $25M worldwide to date. The film is available to stream now on Amazon Prime and it was India’s official submission for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2020 Oscars. Recognizing her international appeal (including over 60M followers on Instagram), the Academy inducted her into its 2020 class.
Alia Bhatt will be joining Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan in the Heart of Stone. Heart of Stone will be produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger with Mockingbird’s Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn. Gadot will also be producing with her husband Jaron Varsano through their production company Pilot Wave.
The much anticipated Gangubai Kathiawadi released on 25 February 2022, became Alia Bhatt’s highest opening film. It opened up with double digits despite the theatres in most cities (especially Mumbai and Delhi) having 50 % occupancy, and limited night shows surpassing all expectations and making it the highest female-centric film opening. Riding high on critical acclaim, Gangubai Kathiawadi is touted to be Alia Bhatt’s best performance to date. From industry insiders to audiences, the film has been lauded by everyone alike. Netizens too have hailed Alia’s commendable performance.
