Alia Bhatt ventures into children's literature with debut book
What's the story
Indian actor Alia Bhatt has launched her first children's picture book titled Ed Finds a Home, under her kidswear brand, Ed-a-Mamma.
Announcing the release on Instagram, Bhatt shared a photo of herself holding the book and wrote, "A new adventure begins. Ed Finds a Home is just the beginning of a new series of books from the universe of Ed-a-Mamma."
The book marks the start of a planned series inspired by her childhood filled with varied storytelling and storytellers.
Inspiration
Bhatt credited childhood storytelling for inspiring book
Bhatt attributed her venture into children's literature to her childhood filled with storytelling.
She expressed gratitude toward fellow storytellers Vivek Kamath, Shabnam Minwalla, and Tanvi Bhat for their contributions in bringing the book to life.
"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," she wrote on Instagram.
Book launch
'Ed Finds a Home' launched at children's literature festival
Bhatt's debut book, Ed Finds a Home, was launched at StoryVerse, a children's literature festival held at Jio World Drive in Mumbai.
The book aims to inspire love for nature among young readers.
This marks the publishing debut of Ed-a-Mamma, in collaboration with Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Random House India.
Business ventures
Bhatt's entrepreneurial journey beyond acting
Bhatt ventured into entrepreneurship in 2020 with Ed-a-Mamma, a brand selling children's wear, teens' wear, and maternity wear.
The brand was acquired by Reliance Brands last year for an estimated ₹300-350 crore.
Besides this venture, Bhatt owns a production house called Eternal Sunshine Productions which backed her 2022 dark comedy, Darlings.
She is also co-producing Jigra with Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and will be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War and an untitled YRF spy film.