Actor Alia Bhatt has faced a fresh wave of online trolling since her YRF spy film Alpha was released in theatres this Friday. The film had a decent opening at the box office but registered the lowest for the franchise. In the midst of this, her mother, Soni Razdan, came to her defence online and has been re-posting statements by fans supporting her.
Soni Razdan fiercely defends Alia Bhatt
Since Alpha hit screens on June 3, Soni has reposted flattering reviews on X (formerly Twitter) and has posted questioning critics who write it off or compare it to Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar. She also re-posted fan reviews claiming that the film wasn’t as bad as it’s being made out to be online.
She also reposted a fan who posted a picture of Alia from the film, writing, “ALIA IS GOOD YOU ALL NEED TO SHUT UP.” Another opinion she seemed to agree with is a fan writing, “And this is supposedly her downfall? Her downfall is still higher than a lot of people’s peak,” while posting a video of a song that sees Alia dance with her co-star, Sharvari.
Soni has also reposted reports suggesting that the film has seen an improvement in collections over the weekend. One post even read, “HOUSEFUL BOARDS ARE BACK after a LONG TIME for a FEMALE LED FILM on SUNDAY. Yes, despite all the negativity, #Alpha has actually taken EXCELLENT START in the Morning Shows all over India today. Even Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are coming today.”
Karan Johar also defended Alpha
After the film’s release, filmmaker Karan Johar also came to Alia and Alpha’s defence. He wrote on his Instagram stories, “When footfalls are a challenge ALPHA takes a solid start! It emphasises many things … the audience is way above online negativity and they are the true warriors.”
He also added, “…. the stardom and theatrical pull and unquestionable talent of Alia Bhatt and the impact of a big screen spectacle is undebatable and that YRF has a continued franchise and an endeavour to create theatrical tentpole experiences that need our applause and not any toxicity! So please relax and celebrate that the cinemas are breathing!!! Go watch ALPHA and stop doom scrolling !!”
Alpha is Shiv Rawail’s debut directorial and part of the YRF spy universe, which includes the films Tiger, War and Pathaan. This is the first female-led film in the universe. Alia, Sharvari, Bobby Deol, and Anil Kapoor play the lead roles. Alpha has grossed over ₹37 crore worldwide in two days of its release.