Alia got 'nervous' for her style during pregnancy, shares 'precious' duty as mum

NEW DELHI :Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt has opened up on how she got "nervous" about her style during pregnancy, and shared her "most precious" thing as a mother.

Alia, who dons multiple hats -- of an entrepreneur, and an investor too, was in the national capital for the launch of upcoming web-series ‘Mission Start Ab’.

In a conversation with Sushant Sreeram, Country Director, Prime Video, India, Alia talked in detail about her brand 'Ed-a-mamma’, sustainability, her journey as an entrepreneur, etc.

Talking about her wardrobe during pregnancy, Alia said, "In 2022, I was expecting a child, and I looked at my wardrobe, and there were no clothes for me that I wanted to wear. And I was nervous about how my style is going to evolve over the next couple of months."

"Then, I started making changes to my wardrobe. And then comes the maternity collection of Ed a mamma.That was not something that I planned. and then subsequently came infants and all of that. so now we have 0-14, and my plan now is to include personal care, sustainable diapers, sustainable toys," she said.

"I know today as a mum my most precious thing is to read a book or sing a song for my daughter Raha. My dream in the beginning was not to create an eda mamma universe, but now i want to create it where you feel very connected to nature, planet, and you just celebrate the child within you," said the 30-year-old actress. On her entrepreneurship journey, the 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' fame diva said that she always wanted to secure herself as a person and as a professional.

"In 2015-2016, I got this thing in my brain that I have to create something. I wanted to secure myself as a person and as a professional. I wanted a brand that stands tall on its own. So I looked for a gap in the market. So at that time there were not as many homegrown sustainable children's clothing brands. 'Ed-a-mamma' is my venture, my capital and I am the sole investor and founder of it," she said.

Speaking further on the challenges she faced during this journey, she said: "So the idea was always to create a sustainable children clothing brand. We launched right in the heart of the pandemic i.e. 2020. So that was the first thing I had to change my path. Luckily, we decided to launch online. I didn’t have the idea when people have the live experience of touching and feeling the clothes from the stores. So that was the first challenge thrown at me."

On how she manages her work-life balance, Alia said: "I think everyone over here has a balance to maintain. You have to maintain your family, your work life, your children, home, yourself, health, and everything. Such is life, you have to keep moving."

"Do not think what you are not doing right, think how you have gotten through the day, with a smile on your face and even if you have a couple of tears rolling down, its okay, because that is life," the 30-year-old actor said.

"So one of the most important things is --I don't have all the answers, sometimes I do not manage. I know what my top priorities are--now my daughter Raha being at the top of the mountain. I am sounding like some motivational speaker right now, but the thing is you just have to keep going without thinking how well you are doing, 'Just keep going, such is life', " she shared.

‘Mission Start Ab’, will showcase India’s grassroots innovators as they turbo-charge their business growth.

The seven-episode series will show these promising entrepreneurs, focussed on scaling made-for-India innovations with the potential to impact socio-economic change, undertake a series of challenges in pursuit of scaling their business and securing funding for their ventures.

Prime Video has joined forces with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA), Government of India, to create 'Mission Start Ab', that will showcase India’s grassroots innovators as they turbo-charge their business growth.

Speaking about the same, Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India said: "This captivating series will serve as a powerful platform, showcasing the inspiring stories of those driving social change through innovation. I am optimistic that it will offer immense learning opportunities to grassroots innovators in India, providing valuable insights into sustainable start-up practices and attracting the right investors."

Currently in production, this upcoming reality show is slated to premiere soon on Prime Video.