Dissent newsletter volume 2 | Page 7

Alia’s career is a testimony to the struggle faced by many contemporary Bollywood actresses. The struggle of finding the balance between what brings commercial success and what satisfies artistic inclinations. Her first movie, in my opinion, is a shallow yet commercially successful piece while ‘Highway’, though not as well-performing at the Box-Office, shows the true talent within her. ‘2 States’ is a balance of the both with a portrayal of the modern Indian woman that breaks the patriarchal expectations of the society, while also bringing in the ‘big bucks’