Alia Bhatt: Debutante of the year?

The 19-year-old says she never wanted to be launched by her father.

Upcoming starlet Alia Bhatt is all set to dazzle the audience in her new movie Student of the Year which releases on October 19, directed and produced by Karan Johar and co-produced by Shahrukh Khan.

Alia is the daughter of director, producer, and screenwriter Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan, a film actor and director. She is the half sister of Pooja Bhatt and the cousin of actor Emraan Hashmi and director Mohit Suri — a B-town family child!

According to dnaindia.com, after graduating from high school last year, Alia found out about the auditions for Student of the Year through her friend, writer Niranjan Iyengar. From the 500 girls that auditioned for the film, she was among the 10 that were finally shortlisted. Weighing 67 kg then, she lost 16 kg in three months after rigorous exercise and a strict diet, to prepare herself for the film.

Alia’s reel life

While Student of the Year is Alia’s first big break in Bollywood, it is not her first stint in the industry. In 1999, Alia acted in Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta starrer Sangharsh, playing the younger Preity.

In her upcoming movie, she will be seen on screen with newcomers Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan — David Dhawan’s son.

The new entrant is clear that she’s in it for the long haul. “I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder or be re-launched again by anyone. The film industry is a serious industry, it’s like a race and I’m ready to work hard,” she said.

No help from the family

Among the many things that the 19-year-old is clear about is that she always wanted to act and never wanted to be launched by her father. “If a doctor’s son wants to be a doctor, he’s sent to a medical school to study. In the same way, I want to go out and study acting for myself,” Alia told dnaindia.com

It seems the stars are shining bright for the teenager, as she will soon be pairing with Ranbir Kapoor in an Abhinav Kashyap venture where she will playing the leading lady. Alia may be an inexperienced actor, but her innocent girl-next-door look is helping her luck shine in Bollywood and get her big banner projects.

“I have always loved Ranbir and I love him even more after Barfi. He is my biggest crush and he will always remain my biggest crush,” the 19-year-old told IANS reporters at a promotional event for her debut film.

If one compares Alia to Pooja Bhatt, it is apparent that the new girl is starting off on with a different genre of Indian cinema. This very fact makes one sit up and take notice of a new Hindi film heroine who is happy not to be launched by her family. For a Bhatt girl, that is quite an achievement!

“Maybe I’m not a Bhatt,” quips the pretty newcomer, whose resemblance to her mother Soni Razdan is unmistakable. “But seriously, I enjoy dancing. I attended Shiamak Davar’s dance classes, trained in Bharatnatyam for two years. So, it’s not entirely new to me,” Alia said, adding that one of the songs from Student of the Year “Radha” caught the attention of Vogue India, and landed the actor her first magazine cover.

Allegedly, the next big role she will play a lead in Sajid Nadiadwala’s new film based on Chetan Bhagat’s book, Two States, where she is set out to play Ananya.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2012.

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