Alia Bhatt to feature as Indian princess in Disney musical? Director Gurinder Chadha answers

Is Alia Bhatt really the top choice for Gurinder Chadha’s Disney musical about an Indian princess? The filmmaker recently broke his silence and addressed the speculations, revealing her plans for the project.

On Saturday, the Bend It Like Beckham director took to Twitter to refute claims that Alia Bhatt was set to star in her upcoming project. Using caps lockto catch the attention of her followers, Chadha tweeted in response to a new report with the headline – "Alia Bhatt to star in Gurinder Chadha’s next, backed by Disney?".

She stated, “This is not true. Not sure where this started. The script is still in the works. Alia and I had a meeting about another project, and I attended her charity gala recently.”

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Gurinder Chadha, known for her acclaimed films Bend It Like Beckham(2002) and Bride and Prejudice(2004), has been hiredby Disney to helm the original musical revolving around an Indian princess.

A recent report by Mid-Day claimed that Alia Bhatt is in discussions with Gurinder Chadha to star in the Disney film. The report suggested that Alia and Gurinder met in January this year when the filmmaker visited India to attend actor Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan’s wedding with Nupur Shikhare.

A source told the portal, “The two (Alia and Gurinder) have been in talks for a while. The final casting will happen only after the script is developed, but Alia is among the top casting choices.”

The source added, “After playing a singer in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama and an undercover agent in Shiv Rawail’s movie, a Disney princess will be a great addition to Alia’s repertoire. Leading the big-budget international project will also be a step forward towards making her presence felt in Hollywood after Heart of Stone. If things fall in place, she will kick off work with Gurinder in the second half of 2025.”