Alpha flop: Alia Bhatt’s solo box office stardom faces questions

There was a time when Alia Bhatt was regarded as the biggest female star in Indian cinema after Deepika Padukone. Her popularity prompted director Rajamouli to cast her in RRR to enhance the film’s pan-India appeal.

Several Telugu filmmakers, including Koratala Siva and Trivikram Srinivas, also explored the possibility of casting her in their projects. In Bollywood, leading production houses believed she had the star power to shoulder female-led action dramas, backing two ambitious films in quick succession: Jigra and Alpha.

However, both films have ended up as major box office disappointments. The poor performance of Alpha, which has reportedly struggled to cross the Rs 50 crore mark, has once again raised questions about Alia’s ability to draw audiences on her own.

The contrast has become more noticeable when compared with Samantha’s comeback Telugu film, which grossed close to Rs 100 crore worldwide. While the scale and markets of the two films are different, the comparison has fueled discussions about Alia’s current solo box office pull.

This doesn’t mean Alia Bhatt will stop landing big-budget projects. She remains one of Bollywood’s most sought-after actresses and will continue to feature opposite leading stars. But the back-to-back failures of Jigra and Alpha could make producers think twice before investing heavily in female-centric films led solely by her.

Since the success of Gangubai Kathiawadi, Alia is yet to deliver a female-led theatrical hit that has succeeded primarily on her own star power, making her upcoming choices even more crucial.