With Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Alia Bhatt returns to rom com genre

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh is an out-and-out romantic comedy. This is Alia's return to the genre after six years. The actress, who with Student of the Year (2012) and quickly came to be associated with glamorous roles, has been receiving praise for her performance-driven parts in films like Darlings, Raazi, and Gangubai Kathiawadi 

Alia Bhatt’s last rom-com outing was Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017) opposite Varun Dhawan. By this time, she had stamped her authority on the genre with movies like 2 States and Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.

Now, the question arises why is Alia returning to the romantic comedy genre at this stage of when the audience has accepted her in other genres? 

3 things you need to know 

• Alia acquired a fanbase courtesy of her popular rom coms before she started to get fully experimental. 
• Before making her Hollywood debut, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani will be Alia's chance to connect with the mass audience.
• With Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, she is reuniting with her 'favourites'.

Alia Bhatt’s tryst with romantic genre

Right from the beginning of her career, Alia has played the romantic interest of the hero, the second fiddle. Her first, SOTY, was a love triangle. Though the film was a box office hit, Alia’s performance was nothing much to write about.. 

However, she quickly proved she was hungry for more. With Highway (2014), she explored her range as a performer.. She played a character suffering from Stockholm syndrome. 

 Soon after this Alia came back to rom-com with films like 2 States (2014), Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014), Shaandaar (2015) and Kapoor and Sons (2016), all happening in quick succession. Her performance in the Shashank Khaitan directorial Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania received commercial and critical acclaim, proving that the romantic comedy space works well for her. 

(All of Alia Bhatt's romantic comedy movies have proven to be successful at the box office. | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

Then came her experimental phase. She featured in Udta Punjab (2016) and Dear Zindagi (2016). Alia’s performance in the former garnered praise and elevated her to the star status. Her de-glam avatar. and authentic Bihari accent were accepted. 

However, Alia did not let go of the romantic-comedy genre completely. The actress made a return to the genre in the very next year. It was the 2017 film Badrinath Ki Dulhania., which was a commercial success. Made on a budget of Rs 44 crore, the movie grossed over Rs 100 crore at the box office and turned out to be a commercial and a critical hit. Not only her acting, but her on-screen chemistry with co-star Varun Dhawan also received acclaim. Fans popularly referred to them as ‘Varia’. 

Alia’s choice of movies: A pattern emerges

In the 5th year of her Bollywood career, a pattern started to become evident. Alia was going back and forth between classes and masses and building her credibility. After delivering a massive hit in the romantic-comedy genre, and having a fair chunk of the audience on her side, she went back to doing unconventional roles. She took up Raazi (2018), with which she proved that she could steer a female-led film to box office glory. 

She was then seen in Gully Boy (2019) which was a non-traditional role. With the film, Alia continued to opt for soft glam roles. Even though she appeared in a never seen avatar in the movie, in the fullness of time, she essayed the love interest of the protagonist - Ranveer Singh. 

(An analysis of Alia's filmography shows the actor featuring in a good mix of experimental and traditional movies. | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

Her subsequent films, Kalank (2019) and Sadak 2 (2020) did not receive a good response. After Raazi, Alia delivered a hit with Gangubai Kathaiwadi, which earned Rs 150 crore in the post-pandemic era. The movie was credited with bringing people back to theatres. To top it all, it was a female-centric film.

At a time when cinemas were functional again, she featured in the dark comedy Darlings, which premiered on an OTT platform. However, the Ayan Mukherji directorial Brahmastra did not steer too far from her comfort zone. In part 1 of the trilogy, she played the hero’s love interest. If one analyses her film choices, the filmography will be a good mix of genres

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani: A safe bet for Alia Bhatt? 

(Judging from the trailer, Alia seems to have a meaty role in the family drama set to release on July 28. | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

Alia is making a comeback to the ‘safe’ genre with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The choice seems to be a meticulous one. Alia seems to be trying to retain this segment of the audience who supported her during the initial years of her career. It also comes at a time when the actress is just about to make her Hollywood debut, later this year. 

Before drifting too far from home, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani seems to be an attempt by Alia to retain the mass Indian audience. The movie adheres to her pattern of starring in a romantic comedy after a series of experimental films. To remain on top of her game, Alia Bhatt needs the masses. 

Alia Bhatt back with her ‘favourites’  

(Alia Bhatt will share the screen space with Ranveer Singh four years after their maiden film together. | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

In Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Alia Bhatt reunites with Ranveer Singh after 2019. Since Gully Boy did well at the box office, the lead pair is expected to drive audiences to theatres again. Besides this, Alia Bhatt is also reuniting with the banner and the filmmaker that launched her and bankrolled most of the films like Brahmastra, Student of The Year, 2 States, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Kapoor and Sons (2016) and more. With everything in her favour, it seems like she is playing too safe with her next one.