Inside Bollywood star Alia Bhatt’s office space in Mumbai

Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, one of the chirpiest personalities in the Hindi film industry, had a succinct brief for her interior designer Rupin Suchak, who was on call to work on her new production office in Mumbai: “Keep it simple.” Suchak, the production designer of her film ‘Dear Zindagi’, stuck to her brief with impressive tenacity and delivered a sunny work space by mid-March.

Due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Mumbai, they are yet to do an official photo shoot together, but Gulf News caught up with Suchak to find out more about Bhatt’s new office space. Bhatt joins the likes of stars such as Kangana Ranaut who have recently revealed their newly done-up work spaces that combined functionality and flair. Here’s what we gleaned from our conversation with Suchak …

1. Alia Bhatt procured her office space in Juhu in Mumbai just below her existing home. “It’s around 2,875 square feet … Alia wanted her space to be warm, cosy, sunny and welcoming. This is an artist’s space and her office reflects that boho vibe,” said Suchak.

2. Suchak and Bhatt share a history. Suchak had done up director R Balki’s office space in Bandra and Bhatt was impressed with it when she came to meet his director wife Gauri Shinde in that office for her film ‘Dear Zindagi’. “Alia saw Balki sir’s space and she called me up immediately to tell me how much she loved it … I have worked with Alia several times for her movies like ‘Dear Zindagi’ and a few advertisements. We are good friends and she’s inclined and sensitive towards good designs. Our tastes clicked well,” said Suchak. Balki’s office was earlier designed like a no-frills, staid government space before Suchak began work on it and put his signature touch all over it.

3. Suchak remembers a time when he used to visit the office spaces of stars and get intimidated. “‘Boss, I don’t fit in here,’ I felt. But with Alia’s space we knew that intimidating vibe shouldn’t be there. The idea was to create a comfortable space that’s inviting and cosy. Anybody who steps into Alia’s office will feel instantly at home. Everything in there is inviting and warm.”

4. The 2,875 square feet office space has a gym, pantry, make-up corner, a formal living room, a dining space, wardrobes and a trophy cabinet. “Eternal Sunshine is a simple space that’s never over-the-top. There’s a bit of washed feel and we exude this Mediterranean, boho-chic, Turkish vibe.”

5. Suchak sourced the furniture from India and did not rely on any international brands. “There’s so much of choice in India itself that I didn’t feel the need to source furniture or any other items from anywhere other than my own country. I was a design student in NIFT Delhi and I knew many good vendors from Madhya Pradesh. The furniture that you see in Alia’s office space is sourced from the local vendors there. It’s made by them. We have also played with textures on the wall.”

6. Creating an office space right below homes has become a trend of sorts, believes Suchak. “In Mumbai, the commute takes a few hours at least if you have to meet someone in another part of the town. So it makes sense for actors now to create their own space where they can hold script readings and formal meetings with directors and producers. It’s their own secure turf,” said Suchak.

7. Suchak and Bhatt wanted her office space to be a sunny place. For this purpose, walls were broken and windows with glass were fixed to allow a steady stream of sunshine and light. “The huge windows are the only source of light for the passages. We were particular that there was a lot of natural [light] streaming in,” said Suchak.

8. Apart from a fully-equipped gym, the balcony doubles up as a chilling zone. A giant swing hangs in there. The balcony resembles a greenhouse of sorts.

9. The trophy cabinet housed in the corner is also discreet. While the actress was proud of her achievements, she wanted the trophies housed in a corner. “She didn’t want too much attention to it … A coat hanger next to it gave it a casual touch,” said Suchak.

10. Suchak loves to experiment with colours and spaces. Bhatt was a perfect client who allowed him to exercise his creative freedom. While he isn’t keen to discuss the costs involved, Suchak claims he hates going overboard with expenses. He is currently designing two celebrity homes, details of which will be revealed soon. “I wanted this office space of Alia to reflect her sunny personality and many have come up to me and said that her office space is an extension of her. That’s the biggest compliment.”