Alia Bhatt, who is currently on her career high after Udta Punjab and is expecting the release of Dear Zindagi with Shah Rukh Khan spoke to Huffington Post India in length about her career and relationships. She spoke about why Indian actresses so not like to accept their relationships in public and that resonates to most of us. 

You know, there’s a general tendency in India to constantly ape the West. Which is good and bad. Whether it is films, fashion, pop-culture, it’s perhaps not too wrong to assume that it descends from there and subsequently becomes a thing here. But what our stars have never managed to handle well is relationships, which Hollywood is pretty open about. Why the conservatism when it comes to talking openly about love?

Because ours is a very real price to pay. In India, you are a part of a society that’s very judgmental.

Here, girls having multiple boyfriends is still a huge-ass deal and something that is frowned upon. I mean, look at Taylor Swift. She’s dated, like, everybody. But if she was here, she’d be totally shamed for making those choices. Her image and appeal would be very different. The reason actresses don’t talk about their private lives is because in our society there is a lot of slut-shaming. Eventually, I have a responsibility and I have to protect myself.

It’s important that I am seen in a certain way, it’s just the way it is. Speculations about celebrities are commonplace but as long as it’s not coming from the horse’s mouth, you’re quite safe, so to speak.