"Alia Bhatt always wanted to be a Star since she was 6": Mohit Suri recalls early memories of his cousin- Exclusive

Filmmaker Mohit Suri recently opened up about his fond memories with his cousin Alia Bhatt from her childhood days, revealing how the now-superstar always had her sights set on becoming an actor. In a candid conversation with ETimes, Suri painted a picture of a young Alia who was full of charm, confidence, and a clear vision of her future—even before she turned 10.

“Since she was like six years old, she wanted to act,” Mohit shared, recalling how evident it was to those around her that Alia was born for the camera. Her love for films, music, and performance was visible from the very beginning.


Mohit recounted a particularly telling incident from 2005, when one of his music remix videos from his film Zeher had just released. “The remix video on my song had come out, and Mahesh Bhatt Saab didn’t really understand it,” he recalled with a chuckle. But to his surprise, it was young Alia who came to the video’s defense. “She told him, ‘It’s damn good.’ She had that aptitude.” Suri added that Mahesh Bhatt ultimately agreed, saying, “If these young people like it, it means it’s really good.”

According to Mohit, Alia was “super commercial ever since that time,” instinctively understanding what worked with the audience even as a child.

He also shared fond memories of post-screening family dinners, “I remember we used to go out for dinners after Bhatt sahab. If he liked the film , Alia and Soni would often join us.”
One particularly sweet anecdote at the dinner stood out for him. Mohit reminisced about a moment when he tried to click a photo of young Alia on an old Nokia phone. “She was standing next to a lamp, looking really pretty, and I took out my phone to click a picture. She asked, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘Just clicking, you look pretty.’ She immediately turned and said, ‘You’re clicking the wrong side,’ and gave her dimple side

.”

“I think she was 8 or 9 years old. Maybe even younger. But even then, she was so clear.” That clarity, Mohit emphasized, wasn’t just a passing phase. “Alia always wanted to be an actress, be a star. We always knew that.”

Mohit is going to be back on the big screen as he gears up for his directorial venture Saiyaara where he once again in teaming up with newcomers like Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. He is known to work with new actors like Shraddha Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi at the start of their careers.