India, July 14 -- Alia Bhatt joining Tumbbad 2 is the kind of casting coup Bollywood rarely pulls without making it feel like a gimmick. This one, however, has intrigue. Bhatt has never dabbled in the horror genre, and Tumbbad wasn't just "well received"; it is one of the most revered genre films of the past decade. Post-Alpha - a semi-hit that did little to dim her appetite for risk - Bhatt appears to be deep in her experimentation era. She's no longer chasing the safest prestige role in the room. She's now looking for the room with the trapdoor.

Alia Bhatt gives Tumbbad 2 a new kind of star power

The original Tumbbad was a horror film that shied away from the genre's usual furniture: no jump-scares, no decorative ghosts, and no easy c...