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Alia Bhatt (WoW Celebrity of the Evening) at the Outlook Business ‘Women of Worth’ Awards 2019
MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt was honoured with a WoW Celebrity of the Eveningat the fourth edition of theOutlook Business ‘Women of Worth' Awards2019 (#WOW2019) held in Mumbai on March 6. The Outlook Business ‘Women of Worth’ 2019 honoured women entrepreneurs and changemakerswho have made it big in the world of business. Alia Bhatt and 10 other women achievers were awarded.
Alia Bhatt made a splash with her presence at the awards function and enthralled everyone with her easygoing charm. The young and sprightly actress who has delighted audiences with her movie choices right from Student of the Year to Highway, 2 States, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Udta Punjab, Raazi and the recent Gully Boy, spoke her heart out to the audience.
In conversation with Outlook Business Editor Ms. N. Mahalakshmi, Alia Bhatt spoke about topics ranging from her choice of roles to nepotism in Bollywood. The spunky actress also posed for a selfie with the audience and was especially charming towards a lady who came on stage to ask her a question.
On how she decides on a role in a film, Alia Bhatt said that she goes by her gut feeling. “There is no clinical thought process to it. It’s as simple as choosing food or a good restaurant.” As for the preparation that goes into her role, Alia said, “I go with the instinct of my director, because every director is different and so every director’s process will be different, and so will mine. If I have a fixed process, then somehow or someday, I will be the same version of myself. I always say I am ‘Moody, Floaty, Fire, Desire’. The reason I say I am ‘floaty ’is because I can literally float along with anyone and follow their lead.”
Alia Bhatt shared with Ms. Mahalakshmi that while growing up in a film family, she was not aware of actors and directors in her family. “In my head, I was a superstar, even at home,” she said. “I used to perform for my grandparents and in front of the mirror. So, I was literally in my own world. I really understood this actor-director world once I started acting. My parents kept me very away from the limelight and the entertainment part of their life. I used to have a voice of my own and my opinion in my house,” she revealed.
On nepotism in Bollywood, Alia Bhatt said, “My opinion on nepotism does not come from a negative space. Nepotism exists in every field. If you know somebody from a certain field you will always help them. But having said that, I am so in love with acting and being an actor that I would be devastated if I never got the opportunity. Of course, it feels terrible if you feel that someone is getting an opportunity because of their family line. So, there is no way to counter that thought. But having said that, once you come into the foray, the audience chooses you. So if you are working, it's not just because you're getting lucky every time. There does go some hard work into that. So, while keeping in mind the sentiment it is also important to not discard a lot of hard work. As I said, there are no negative thoughts. I can't wake up and say sorry for being born in this family. But I can definitely say that I will work as hard as possible to prove that I deserve to be here."
On working with her father (filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt), Alia revealed that she is petrified of working with him, as he thinks he cannot get through a wall that surrounds her.
Like every year, the 2019 special edition of Outlook Business was unveiled at the event where the women achievers were felicitated for their accomplishments. In an interactive session, each woman achiever spoke about her journey and her story.
This year, an interesting mix of personalities was awarded at the Outlook Business WOW 2019 Awards. The award-winners are:
• Alia Bhatt (Actress, Bollywood).
• Kalpana Saroj (Chairperson, Kamani Group).
• Malini Agarwal (Founder, Miss Malini).
• Manisha Raisinghani (Co-Founder and CTO, Loginext).
• Chetna Gala Sinha (Founder, Mann Deshi Foundation).
• Brinda Somaiyya (Principal Architect, Somaya & Kalappa).
• Mallika Dua (Actress, Comedienne and Writer).
• Nidhi Bisht (The Viral Fever).
• Prajakta Koli (YouTube personality and video blogger).
• Chhavi Rajawat (Sarpanch of Soda Village, Rajasthan).
• Dipali Goenka (CEO, Welspun India).
The endeavour was to curate the stories of these extraordinary women, and have them share their experience for the benefit of other budding entrepreneurs.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
