OT: Which is your favourite hotel in the world?
Alia Bhatt: That is a very unfair question because I love travelling and eating yummy food on holidays. But I would like to mention one place in India, the Oberoi Grand in Kolkata (from Rs 8,750; www.oberoihotels.com). Simply because the city and this hotel are just so underrated. The city that it is in, the history that the place has and the feeling of luxury really did surprise me.

OT: What is its USP, would you say?
Alia Bhatt: The fact that it is right in the middle of a busy and bustling city—and yet when you enter it, it is almost like you are entering another world of peace. There are huge open spaces within the hotel—the courtyard enveloped by greenery is spectacular. It is amazing to imagine that such a calm and quiet stay is possible right in the heart of a frenetic city like Kolkata.

OT: One fun thing you did there?
Alia Bhatt: I love spicy food—especially chaat. And the variety to which I was treated at The Oberoi Grand in Kolkata was just amazing. That I love French fries is known to the world. The chef here made this fried potato chaat for me with a traditional mustard sauce favoured by Bengalis (kasundi) and put in the most fragrant lemon in it—I was told it is a Gondhoraj lemon—and it was just divine. My dietician refused to speak to me after she heard how much I ate during my stay at the Grand.!

OT: Attentive staff, then?
Alia Bhatt: Yes! Attention to detail echoes in every aspect of the hotel, especially its staff. When I was leaving, the chef actually gave me some lemons in a basket as a keepsake.

OT: Going back for more?
Alia Bhatt: Definitely. I have made some good friends there and would love to go back and stay there for longer.