Alia Bhatt faces flak for her ‘Udta Punjab’ character

When the makers unveiled the first poster and trailer of the film ‘Udta Punjab’, everyone appreciated the efforts put in by the stars Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan to perfect their characters. The trailer was captivating and so were the characters. All seemed good, the trailer hit 5 million views and actors received due credit for the same. But suddenly, an open letter directed to Alia went viral and this letter was nothing but a critical note blaming Alia for stereotyping the people hailing from Bihar.

 The open letter published in Asianet Newsable read,

Dear Alia,

Just like the rest of the country, I am thrilled by the intense trailer of Udta Punjab. Shahid looks like a rockstar. The movie appears gritty and real. The music is something we’re all waiting madly for. But just one thing. I somehow could not digest your migrant Bihari character.

 While others, reportedly, got ‘goose bumps’ watching you, I thought you were trying too hard to pass off as Bihari, especially considering (as you have constantly claimed yourself) that you took such great pains to lend authenticity to the role.

 As a bonafide Bihari myself, I think I have the right to be absolutely blunt. So, here goes. Firstly, your treatment of the character is nothing but a concoction of stereotypes. (Trust me, this kind of stereotyping is far ahead of what even Chetan Bhagat is capable of.)

 Secondly,  ‘Bihari’ is not a language. People in Bihar converse in Maithili, Bhojpuri, Maghai or Angika. They don’t speak in ‘Bihari’; people who originate here are referred to as Biharis, and not their language. You actually underwent  a month-long coaching to get the dialect right, and still ended up calling the language ‘Bihari’? Not good. And, by the way, ‘Ee’, ‘Ka’, ‘Kon’, ‘Chutiy***’ is not the ‘Bihari’ language either. It’s just lazy stereotyping, something Bollywood has always excelled at.

Thirdly – and this makes me weep –  the costumes and props that you claim helped you ‘nail’ the Bihari look  are nothing but  soiled, tattered clothes, grimy skin and messed up hair. These are not the preserve of just the state of Bihar, only the grave manifestations of poverty the world over. Is this what you think, Alia? Do you really think all Biharis are poor and look like this? Shame.

This letter went viral with many opinions and views contradicting with the thoughts of the writer. Alia Bhatt did what her character demanded and narrated the dialogues written by the someone, that’s all! With this, it seems what Alia Bhatt recently tweeted stands true. Here’s what she posted,

Hmmmmmmm 🙂 pic.twitter.com/pWbSOkNGWm

— Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) April 20, 2016

Also Read: Abhishek Chaubey was sceptical to cast Alia Bhatt as Bihari migrant

Nikita Thakkar

A strongly opinionated, free-spirited, budding Bollywood journalist, she likes to write anything in her own quirky style. When not running around to get assigned tasks completed, you will find her either painting, indulging in photography or dreaming in the la la land.