Quotes

[Explaining her childhood] I was never a brat. I had a rather grounded and modest upbringing. I didn't get the pleasures that people assume I would've got because I am Mahesh Bhatt's daughter. I led a normal life. And I am happy I did. I bought my first designer item myself, after I made enough money to buy it.

[how she chooses her films] I choose films the same way I've been doing it for years. I just keep it flavorful, I want each project to feel different from the other. It satisfies my extremely impatient, monotony-abhorring kind of brain. It's not calculated at all.

[her thoughts on people questioning her on nepotism] I acknowledge the fact that I do have that privilege, which is why I give 100 percent every day and never take my work for granted. The only thing I can do is keep my head down and keep working.

[her bond with her two-year-old daughter] There are multiple surprises on a daily basis because she is a toddler. She is really bubbling. The feeling of motherhood is ever-evolving. I have become incessantly protective ever since she was born. I enjoyed the instant sense of nurturing. I was also filled with so much worry, which is a very normal feeling. Over time, the worry doesn't go away, it changes form.

[on the challenges of doing a Hollywood film] The goal is always to put myself in rooms, studios, sets, and situations that I'm not very familiar with. Doing an English-language film is out of my comfort zone-it would be the same as doing a Tamil or Telugu film. That's a whole new challenge, but it's also very humbling. I like the idea of starting from scratch. It's also a way to mix it up.

[on her parents reaction to her intimate scenes] Have you seen my father's films? I am an actor on screen, not anybody's daughter. Anyway, I don't think my dad has any problem with it.

[on her future ambitions] I have to be on a film set. Alongside acting, I really want to build my production house. Ten years from now, I hope I'm making films that are loved.

[on masculine and feminine energy] I feel like we all have masculine and feminine sides. They surface at different moments in our lives. She adds that her masculine energy was dominant for a long time until motherhood reoriented her emotional center. But whenever I've tapped into that masculine energy in front of the camera, I've really enjoyed it. It felt surprisingly familiar.

[on Ranbir Kapoor as a father] I always knew he would be a present, hands-on father. We had spoken about it and felt aligned long before it happened. What surprised me was how sensitive he really is. He's shy and holds a lot back, but with our daughter, he becomes incredibly expressive. His eyes, his face-everything lights up. He almost becomes a child himself.

[on leadership and collaboration] I feel I'm naturally a leader, but I'm also a team player. Even as a leader, you have to make people feel that you're part of the team. She believes power lies in recognizing your place within something larger: You're only bringing one part of what's needed to the table. The rest has to come from others.

[on success and longevity] You can't be successful just once or twice-you have to be successful consistently. She references Amitabh Bachchan not as a comparison, but as context: He didn't become who he is overnight. It took years and years of consistency-showing up, being there for the craft. It's not about how high you fly, but how far you go, and how long you keep going.

[on working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali] Working with Sanjay Sir is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I am so grateful that I get to do it.

[on maintaining friendships despite her acting career] When I started my acting journey, I was warned that actors don't really have friends. But my experience has been different. My closest friends are spread across the world—I live in Mumbai, one lives in New York, another in Toronto, and together we are a group of nine girls. The reason we can still call ourselves best friends and remain so close is because of the patience they have shown me. I give them a lot of credit for that.