Alia Bhatt: I avoid giving parenting advice as everyone’s journey is different

On a rainy afternoon of June 18 this writer and her cameraman Manjit hopped into a rick headed towards Mac Ronells Bungalow in Bandra At Krome Studios the production unit is wary of rumbling clouds watching out for decibels while taping an interview The subject is Alia Bhatt and her newly launched childrens book Ed Finds A Home curious we asked What has prompted you to take up writing for a childrenrsquos beatAlia Laughs Like I said things happen in their own time What drives my passion as an actor is my deep fascination with the storyline Irsquom really into the overall universe of the whole plot When scripts come to me I get too excited Even if Im not taking on the role Ill still chime in with my suggestionsFor actor Alia Bhatt both acting and writing stem from her profound interest in the storyline ldquoIrsquom overall interested in building the storyrsquos universerdquo she urges recounting her path to becoming an authorHaving coauthored her first book with Vivek Kamath and Shabnam Minwalla with illustrations by Tanvi Bhat ndash she has announced five more picture books under the ldquoAdventures of Edamammardquo series Published by Puffin the childrens division of Penguin Random House the book is based on the themes of environmental responsibilityldquoEd Finds a Homerdquo was launched at StoryVerse a lit fest for children held at Jio World Drive on Sunday In recognition of their commitment to environmental conservation Edamamma invited children to pledge to planet Earth for the collective responsibility of safeguarding it for future generationsTalking about the books genesis she tells us It was during lockdown I took up a script writing course and completed my first story on a kid struggling with his shoelaces Well you ask why childrens stories Itrsquos because they speak to me As a little girl I was caught up in my bubble world full of imagination different from everyone elses And I feel every kid feels that wayAs the actress navigates her childhood memories she channels her insights into fostering ecoconscious values among young readers Her dreamlike storytelling creates a space for children to form a deeper more intimate connection with their environmentAlthough now a published author been in the making for 5 years she informs Alia was averse to writing as a child ldquoMy mother used to force me to read but I never picked it up I just could never read It was my sister Shaheen who was a total bookworm I was more like a daydreamer lost in my imagination as a little girlrdquo she recounts her childhoodAs a kid the Highway actor admits to being an eccentric personality who lived in a tangential reality I used to be an oddball in school often peeping out the classroom window Perhaps this is what inspires the fantasylike universe of her picture book which forged bonds with nature through the journey of a little girl and her dogThe books protagonist a little girl aka Alia comes with her supernatural element ldquoWe gave her a superpower ndash where she can communicate with animals trees and birds This allows her to connect with nature personified as a talking dog a chatty crow and a guiding coconut treerdquo outlines the actorentrepreneurThe book is printed in full colour on sustainable paper marking an industry first for any publishing house This also aligns with Aliarsquos new sustainable clothing brand and vision to inspire a generation of miniplaneteers through storytelling As an entrepreneur committed to ecoconsciouness she views EdaMamma as a movement toward positive change By expanding the Eduniverse starting with clothes now books and to toys and a baby care range next my objective is to infuse sustainability principles into every aspect of childhood she shares her business plans on the Edamamma seriesAlia and her beau Ranbir Kapoor welcomed their daughter Raha in November 2022 Speaking about her journey of parenthood while reflecting on her privileged background which allows her more means to seek help she emphasises that ldquoI have no real advice to give Also in general I always steer away from giving advice because I feel everybody has their own journey and experiencerdquoShe continues Right before the book went to print I did one final draft where I focused on how the words flowed and sounded when rolled off the tongue This happened while reading to Raha every night which sparked a few lastminute changes It was a good exercise I feel it added more clarity and a better understanding to how the story unfoldedTalking of her Novemberborn she says For my daughter Im trying to do what comes to me naturally as a parent We make sure to read to her every night Its like a norm a routine that we have been doing since day one And it doesnt change ever so you try and keep it up for as long as possible until either they reject it or keep accepting itShe was last seen in the film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani opposite Ranveer Singh She also turned producer in 2022 with the film Darlings Recently she donned the role of an executive producer for Richie Mehtas web series Poacher which highlights the menace of elephant poaching in Kerala The actress will next be seen in the film Jigra directed by Vasan Bala Also she has also signed in for the YRF Spy UniverseAlso Read Alia Bhatt turns an author talks about Rahas role in inspiring her debut book