Alia Bhatt and Sharvari's 'Alpha' is redefining the Bollywood action movie formula

For decades, spectacle has belonged to male stars. With Alia Bhatt and Sharvari leading 'Alpha', Bollywood may finally be rewriting the rules of the blockbuster.

Jun 26, 2026 | by Sidhi Goel

For decades, mainstream Indian cinema has reserved one particular kind of joy almost exclusively for its male stars: the big-ticket, popcorn action entertainer.

The template is familiar. A charismatic hero. High-octane action. Exotic locations. Slick stunts. Larger-than-life set pieces. A film designed not to be dissected but enjoyed. From the angry young man era to contemporary spy universes, male stars have routinely been handed these cinematic playgrounds, allowing them to be heroic, reckless, stylish and, most importantly, have fun.

Women, meanwhile, have largely been expected to occupy a different space. They can be emotional anchors, romantic interests, victims, survivors, or protagonists in issue-based dramas. They can carry socially relevant films and intimate character studies. But rarely are they given the freedom to simply be action stars in unapologetic commercial entertainers.

That is what makes Alpha such a significant moment.

Starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, Alpha arrives not merely as another entry in a successful spy universe, but as a challenge to one of Bollywood's oldest assumptions: that audiences only want to watch men save the day.

At its core, Alpha asks a simple question: Why can't women have the same kind of cinematic fun?

Why can't female stars lead globe-trotting espionage adventures? Why can't they perform gravity-defying stunts, engage in hand-to-hand combat, deliver crowd-pleasing action sequences and command the screen with the same swagger traditionally reserved for male heroes? Why should women only be allowed prestige while men are allowed spectacle?

The significance of Alpha lies in its not positioning itself as a "female-centric film" in the conventional sense. It isn't asking audiences to support it because it is important. It is asking audiences to show up because it is entertaining. That distinction matters.

For years, conversations around women-led cinema in India have often been tied to social messaging, empowerment narratives, or issue-driven storytelling. While those films are valuable, they have inadvertently created a perception that female-led projects belong to a separate category from mainstream commercial cinema. And worst of all, most female-led films won’t work at the box office.

Alpha seeks to erase this, and Aditya Chopra has done what no one has ever attempted—flip the gender narrative in popcorn action entertainers.

If successful, the film could prove that women don't need a social cause to justify occupying the centre of a blockbuster. They can simply be stars. And if audiences embrace Alia Bhatt and Sharvari in this avatar, the implications could extend far beyond a single film.

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A successful Alpha would provide the industry with something it values above all else: a commercially viable template. It could encourage studios to develop more female-led action franchises, spy thrillers, heist films, adventure spectacles and commercial entertainers. It could unlock opportunities for a generation of actresses who have long demonstrated star power but have rarely been offered vehicles designed around scale and action.

More importantly, it could create an entirely new category within Indian cinema: the female popcorn action blockbuster.

Its success would signal that audiences are ready to watch women not only lead stories, but lead franchises. Not only participate in action, but define it. Not only share space with male heroes, but they also become the attraction themselves.

Ultimately, the conversation around Alpha is bigger than box office numbers. It is about expanding the imagination of mainstream cinema.

For generations, audiences have celebrated men having fun in action movies. Perhaps Alpha is the film that proves audiences are equally ready to watch women do the same.

And if that happens, it won't just be a hit movie. It could be the birth of a new era for commercial Indian cinema led by women.

Alpha releases only in cinemas worldwide on July 3rd, 2026.

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Alia Bhatt Image:

Photographer: Keerthana Kunnath (@kee_kunnath)

Stylist: Priyanka Kapadia (@priyankarkapadia)

Make-up Artist: Puneet B Saini (@puneetbsaini)

Hair Artist: Amit Thakur (@amitthakur_hair)

Assistant Stylists: Esther Pinto (@esther_pinto98), Iram Halai (@iram_halai)

Assistant Make-Up Artist: Nidhi Gandhi (@nidhigandhi_makeupartist)

Nails: Anisha Mulchandani (@studionails_mumbai)

Set Design: Janhavi Patwardhan (@theartnut_j)