- Shamser Khalid
Gal Gadot, Alia Bhatt in New Action-Packed 'Heart of Stone'
In the upcoming film "Heart of Stone," Gal Gadot and Alia Bhatt elevate action to new levels. Directed by Tom Harper, the adventure showcases both actresses engaging in thrilling activities like parachuting off snowy cliffs, leaping out of helicopters, and engaging in intense fights thousands of feet above the ground, along with various other daring stunts.
In the movie "Heart of Stone," Gal Gadot takes on the role of Rachel Stone, an ordinary computer technician who is also an undercover operative for a peacekeeping agency. The plot revolves around her efforts to thwart a hacker's attempt to steal a powerful AI device named "The Heart," touted as the world's most advanced artificial intelligence, as described by Netflix's Tudum event.
Renowned Bollywood star Alia Bhatt shares the screen with Gadot, portraying Keya Dhawan, an enigmatic hacker whose pursuit of finding and gaining control over the Heart poses a significant threat to global stability, as revealed by Tudum.
"She's after the heart, which is the center of Rachel Stone's universe, what she's trying to protect," Bhatt said.
The riveting trailer of "Heart of Stone" takes viewers on a thrilling journey worldwide, with Gal Gadot's character safeguarding the Heart. According to Tudum, the device possesses the capability to monitor an individual's complete online history and utilize that data to anticipate their potential actions in the future. Moreover, the Heart is designed to offer guidance on how to handle potential global threats. Given the high stakes involved, Rachel is determined to prevent the Heart from falling into the wrong hands, even if it means engaging in aerial combat or battling Keya from moving vehicles.
Gadot mentioned that she underwent months of training for "Heart of Stone," which included collaborating with stunt teams to prepare for the demanding action sequences. "Coming into it, it was clear this was going to be an action-packed movie," Gadot said. "You have to train months and months beforehand to make sure you're fit strong enough to do all the stuff we needed to do."
Alia Bhatt, who revealed that "Heart of Stone" marked her debut in the action film genre, was actually pregnant during the filming period. Bhatt shared her excitement about being able to say, "Oh, I'm doing my first action movie pregnant." This unique experience added a special dimension to her involvement in the project.
Alia Bhatt further explained that although visual effects played a role in crafting the suspenseful scenes on screen, a significant portion of the action-packed sequences was captured during the actual filming process. This emphasizes the authenticity and intensity of the action sequences in "Heart of Stone."
"The real execution happens in that moment," she said. "So, the preparation of course, with certain amount of agility, training, wire work."
Despite being a gripping and thrilling adventure that keeps the audience engaged, Gal Gadot highlighted that Rachel, her character in "Heart of Stone," diverged from the type of protagonist she had portrayed in her previous action roles. This suggests that Rachel brings a fresh and distinct perspective to Gadot's repertoire of characters.
"She's like a loose cannon, [a] wild woman who has a really great sense of justice and will always follow her heart," she said.
"On the one hand, she's an amazing secret agent who enjoys the thrill of adrenaline. At the same time, she doesn't operate really well within the system," Gadot added. "She finds it a bit difficult to follow the rules and staying in one lane."
Director Tom Harper expressed his belief that Gal Gadot was an ideal fit to portray the character of Rachel in the new film. Harper's statement implies that Gadot's qualities and abilities align seamlessly with the vision he had for the role, further emphasizing her suitability for the character.
"Heart of Stone" is scheduled to be released on Netflix for streaming on August 11th.
