Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Heart of Stone’ is an action film that follows Rachel Stone, a secret agent who works for an organization called the Charter. The core of the Charter resides in an artificial intelligence called the Heart. When it is stolen by some people hell-bent on destroying the world, it falls on Stone to get the Heart back and save the world. During the mission, she crosses paths with a tech prodigy named Keya Dhawan. While Keya works for the bad guys, she is a complicated character with different reasons for wanting the Heart.
Keya is played by Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, who made her Hollywood debut with the Gal Gadot-produced film. The film is full of action sequences, some of which involve Keya. The filming for it took place last year, which is also when Bhatt announced her pregnancy. Does this mean she was pregnant while shooting ‘Heart of Stone’? Let’s find out.
Filming During Pregnancy
Alia Bhatt announced her pregnancy in June 2022, and the filming for ‘Heart of Stone’ had begun a month before it. This confirms that Bhatt was pregnant during the shoot. Talking about how she broke the news to Gadot, Bhatt said: “I remember when I had to call Gal and let her know that I was pregnant. And she was so warm, excited, and started cheering, talking about how it’s great luck for the movie and that she’s got my back.”
Bhatt talked about how Gadot and the whole team of ‘Heart of Stone’ ensured she was comfortable and cared for during the filming. “I think very rarely you meet somebody and in the first two minutes feel very well taken care of, extreme warmth and just safety. When you are working with someone, of course, it’s the working relationship that you take away. You just want to meet and interact with people who touch you and make you feel comfortable. And that’s exactly what I felt,” she added.
This is Bhatt’s first action movie and her first venture outside Bollywood, which made it “quite a task at hand” for her. The pregnancy added another layer to it, but she revealed that the filming took place without a hitch. The team took the necessary safety precautions, and while there are always challenges with shooting such films, it was a fun ride. “There were so many layers for me to deal with. But they made it so seamless and so easy, and so comfortable for me. It’s something that I will never forget because of how beautifully and how well I was treated,” Bhatt said.
Bhatt shot all the stunts in the movie with the help of several stunt doubles. Because her character in the film is not pregnant, the actress’ baby bump, which had started to show in the later sections of filming, was removed in post using digital effects. Looking back at her experience on the set, Bhatt is amazed by the fact that she did all that and also feels proud. Considering how the film has turned, she has every reason to.
Read More: Where Was Netflix’s Heart of Stone Filmed?
