Hum Banaras ke culture mein ekdum ghul gaye hain: Alia Bhatt

The shooting of Ayan Mukerji’s 'Brahmasrta' is on in full swing in Varanasi these days. On Wednesday, Mukerji, along with the film's lead actors Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, South sensation Nagarjuna and Mouni Roy held a press conference in the city. The director and the actors spoke at length about how the city has a big role to play in the film and how they are enjoying Banarasi culture and cuisine.
Dressed in a black T-shirt and olive green chinos, Ranbir did most of talking for the team with Alia, wearing a blue printed suit, interjected in between, frequently. When asked about how Banaras had been featured in the film, Ranbir said, "The film is inspired by mythological epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharat and Banaras is a very important aspect of it."
(L-R) Ranbir Kapoor, Mouni Roy, Akkineni Nagarjuna and Alia Bhatt (BCCL/ Arvind Kumar)
"In fact, Banaras plays a very important role in our film. Banaras basically woh jagah hai jahan film ke characters saare aa ke ek saath milte hain. The whole adventure of the film begins from Banaras. We are shooting a song here and also a big action scene," said director Ayan Mukerji, adding, "Our endeavour is to show a lot of Banaras in the film. It's a beautiful city and has a soul which we want to showcase in the film."
Having spent more than a week shooting in Varanasi, the actors and the crew are making the most of the holy city. Alia and Ranbir also went to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple for darshan early morning on Saturday. The team has also been enjoying Banarasi cuisine on their cheat days. On Wednesday, Alia also posted a picture on Instagram of the Banarasi thali she had. When asked how she’s liking the city, Alia said, "Hum Banaras ke culture mein ekdum ghul gaye hain. I’m having lassi every day. I have to have the chaat and the Banarasi thali on my day off. Toh hum yahan pe poori tarah bass gaye hain. Hum Kashi Vishwanath temple bhi gaye thay shoot khatm karne ke baad subah-subah."
(L) Mouni Roy (R) Mouni Roy (BCCL/ Arvind Kumar)
"That was a very very beautiful experience. Humne toh yahan pahunchte hi Banaras ki thandai bhi pi. Abhi we are yet to have the chaat, kachori, Banarasi paan and the phulki. I’ve made a list and I’ll ensure I eat it all. I am loving this city," shared Alia.
(L) Ranbir Kapoor (R) Alia Bhatt (BCCL/ Arvind Kumar)
Reiterating what Alia said about the city, Ranbir, added, "Ek baar do-teen din aap rahoge Banaras mein toh you’ll understand the soul and the essence of Banaras. And we’ve spent about eight days here and we are now understanding the soul and the essence of the city. It is incredible! In fact, Nagarjuna sir told us that when he had come to Banaras about a decade ago for a shoot, it was pretty dirty. But now there’s a sea change in the city. It’s very clean. The Ganga is so clean! I think we will have to give credit to Modi ji for his Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for this."
(BCCL/ Arvind Kumar)
Asked about the change he saw in the city since he last visited it about a decade ago, Nagarjuna said, "Yes, of course there is a big change in Banaras. The quality and the competition everything goes up, so you have to be on your feet. The basic heart and the story, it's always been the same, the technical changes have come and I’m enjoying that very much."
— Arvind Kumar
(BCCL/ Arvind Kumar)
In Video:'Hum Banaras ke culture mein ekdum ghul gaye hain': Alia Bhatt