Alia Bhatt loved playing 'the bad guy' in Heart of Stone

Alia Bhatt relished playing "the bad guy" in 'Heart of Stone'.

The 30-year-old actress plays Keya Dhawan in the new action movie, and Alia has revealed that she loved playing a baddie for the first time in her career.

Alia - who stars in the Tom Harper-directed film alongside Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan - told the Hindustan Times newspaper: "A lot of [how to play the villain] comes with the writing.

"You just have to commit to the direction, whatever the direction is. But I think there's a lot of purpose and dedication in being the bad guy because to me, I'm not the bad guy. To me, I'm the right guy.

"Keya's passion, her requirement, need or want for the heart has reason, it has purpose. And she believes in that. For her, she's not the bad guy. So you need to fully commit to that moment as an actor. I think it's about displaying both her sides with clarity and focus."

Alia also loved the "sassy" side of her character.

She shared: "There are those in-between moments where she's being sassy and a bit heavy-handed with the sarcasm, which is great. It's built into the writing. And it's a first for me. So I had a lot of fun really juicing those moments."

Alia is keen to play more characters with "unexpected shades" in the coming years.

However, the actress is also keen to strike a "balance".

She explained: "I definitely feel there's merit in showing women in unexpected shades. It's way more entertaining to see two women fight and outsmart each other.

"Of course, those dynamics are way more interesting than to see them sitting and gossiping at lunchtime. Those things are interesting to play with. But I think it should be a balance of both."