Alia Bhatt has started a new chapter of her life by turning into a storyteller. The actor has launched her first children’s picture book, and she says she is working on the whole series of books for the future. (Also read: Alia Bhatt talks about what contributed most to her international appeal and recognition)
On Sunday, Alia introduced the first one in a series of children’s picture books, called Ed Finds A Home, under her kids wear brand Ed-a-Mamma.
New milestone
Alia took to Instagram to share her excitement about this new role, and shared a picture of herself with the book. She is seen smiling wide for the camera as she poses with the book.
Sharing the picture, she wrote, “A new adventure begins (sun emoji) Ed finds a Home is just the beginning of a new series of books from the universe of Ed-a-mamma”.
“My childhood was full of storytelling and storytellers .. and one day I had a dream to bring out that child in me and put it into books for children.. I am so grateful to my fellow storytellers, Vivek Kamath, @shabnamminwalla and @tanvibhat.draws, who with their wonderful ideas, inputs and imagination helped bring our first book to life. Fingers crossed for this journey ahead,” she added.
Earlier in the day, Alia remembered her ‘favourite storyteller’ — her grandpa on his birth anniversary. She wished her ‘nana’ on his birth anniversary by sharing unseen childhood pictures.
“My favorite storyteller … Happy birthday Grandpa, you and your stories live on in our hearts forever,” she wrote with the pictures.
More about the book
Ed Finds A Home is part of a children’s book series “with a focus on inspiring love for nature in the coming generation.” This is Ed-a-Mamma’s first venture into the field of publishing, in tandem with Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Random House India. She launched the book at the children’s literature festival, StoryVerse, taking place at Jio World Drive in Mumbai on Sunday.
Alia’s business venture
Alia turned entrepreneur in 2020 with Ed-a-Mamma, which sells children’s wear, teens’ wear, and maternity wear. Last year, it was acquired by Reliance Brands, a subsidiary of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail, for a reported whopping amount of ₹300-350 crore.
Alia also owns a production house, Eternal Sunshine Productions, which backed her 2022 dark comedy Darlings, released on Netflix India. She’s also co-producing Vasan Bala’s upcoming theatrical escape drama Jigra with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. The film is slated to release on October 11.
Apart from Jigra, Alia will also be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War and an untitled YRF Spy Universe film.