Alia Bhatt reads out from 'Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone'

MUMBAI: After Hollywood stars like Daniel Radcliffe and Eddie Redmayne read out a chapter from JK Rowling's popular "Harry Potter" book series, actress Alia Bhatt has ushered the trend to Bollywood. She read out a chapter from "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone" as a part of "Harry Potter At Home" initiative.

(Also read: Alia Bhatt wants to see these celebs without makeup inside the Bigg Boss house)

Alia took to Instagram and shared a photograph where she is seen reading the "Harry Potter" adventure.

She captioned it: "Magic is all around us, we just have to feel it... or read it!! Coming VERY soon."

Alia then shared a video of herself reading a few lines from chapter eight of the book. The video had "Harry Potter At Home. Chapter Eight With Alia Bhatt and Alec Baldwin" written on it.

She captioned it: "Two months ago Harry, Hogwarts, and the wizarding world walked into my life and almost immediately, in my heart. Somehow, when I was younger life always intervened and I never quite got around to befriending the books. But. Just like magic, two months ago, I did. And, just like magic, I was asked to be a part of Harry Potter at Home. 10 million points to Gryffindor! "

The sudden promotion of "Harry Potter" by Hollywood and Bollywood stars coincides with Rowling making the surprise announcement for fans recently of a new book named "The Ickabog", which she has opted to publish for free on her website. Rowling has said she will release chapters of the book online on weekdays for children to enjoy during these "strange, unsettling times", reports cbsnews.com. The author released the first two chapters on Tuesday.

According to bbc.com, "The Ickabog" is Rowling's first children's story not associated with Harry Potter. She wrote it over a decade ago for her own children and has now dusted it off. The author said it's for "children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times", the website added.

(Also read: When Alia Bhatt cried for the strangest reason)