Alia Bhatt is set to make her Hollywood debut in Heart of Stone, a Netflix thriller. The film also stars Gal Gadot from Wonder Woman and Jamie Dornan from 50 Shades of Grey.
Netflix made the announcement on Tuesday via its official social media accounts. “Exciting News: Alia Bhatt will star alongside Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan in their new film Heart of Stone!” tweeted Netflix.
Alia has demonstrated her global appeal on numerous occasions. Gangubai Kathiawadi, her most recent film, had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. Her previous films, Gully Boy (2019) and Highway (2014), both premiered at the Berlinale. Gully Boy, directed by Zoya Akhtar, was also India’s official nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2020 Academy Awards. The Academy inducted her into its 2020 class, recognizing her international appeal (including over 60 million Instagram followers).
Alia is riding high on the success of her latest film, Gangubai Kathiawadi, which was released on February 25. Last weekend, the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film had the third-largest pandemic era opening and the biggest non-holiday opening for a Bollywood film.
In an interview with indianexpress.com, Alia said of the film, “I believe that it is the type of film that should only be seen in theatres.” Everyone is familiar with Sanjay sir’s films and cinematography. The way he assembles his celluloid films is a visual spectacle. Gangubai is also the type of film that requires you to get involved and experience it, rather than pausing it to do something else and returning to it. The feeling of watching a movie with strangers in a theatre is a magical one.”
Alia is also working on Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani with Ranveer Singh, as well as Darlings, which she co-produced. Gal Gadot previously worked with Netflix on Red Notice, a film that also starred Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds.
