Alia Bhatt (born 15 March 1993) is an Indian actress who appears inBollywood films. The daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan, Bhatt first appeared on screen as a child artist in a minor role in the thriller Sangharsh (1999). As an adult, she made her acting debut alongsideSidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan in Karan Johar's romantic dramaStudent of the Year (2012).
Bhatt's portrayal of a teenage girl who develops stockholm syndrome in Imtiaz Ali's road movie Highway (2014) garnered her critical acclaim. She won theFilmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and also received a Best Actressnomination at the same ceremony. She went on to establish herself in Bollywood by starring in the romantic drama 2 States (2014) and the romantic comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014), both of which earned over₹1 billion (US$15 million) worldwide.
In addition to acting in films, Bhatt has sung two of her film songs. She participates in stage shows, and has launched her own line of clothing for women.
Bhatt was born on 15 March 1993,[1][2] to Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan. Her father is of Gujarati descent[3][4] and her mother is ofKashmiri and German ancestry.[5][6][7] Bhatt has an elder sister, Shaheen (born 1988)[8] and two half-siblings, Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt. Actor Emraan Hashmiand director Mohit Suri are her paternal cousins, while producer Mukesh Bhatt is her uncle.[9] Bhatt was educated at the Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai.[10]
Bhatt's first acting role was as a child artist in Sangharsh (1999), starring Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta where she played the younger version of Zinta's character.[11] She had her first leading role in 2012 with Karan Johar's Student of the Year, alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan.[12] She portrayed the role of Shanaya Singhania, a sophisticated teenage girl who is in a relationship with Dhawan's character but is attracted to the character played by Malhotra. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote of her performance, "Alia's role is reminiscent ofKareena Kapoor in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Stylish, classy, born with a silver spoon, she's someone who loves to flaunt not just her clothes and bags, but also her riches. Extremely photogenic, Alia makes a super-confident debut."[13] Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times also mentioned the similarities with Kapoor's character, but noted that her performance was "without the killer attitude."[14] Student of the Year grossed ₹960 million (US$14 million) at the box office.[15]
Bhatt established herself in Bollywood with her three film releases of 2014.[16][17] She played the protagonist of Imtiaz Ali's road film Highway opposite Randeep Hooda. Her portrayal of a lonely teenage girl who develops stockholm syndrome after being abducted was acclaimed by the critics.[18] Rachit Gupta of Filmfare mentioned that "[a]t 20, it’s surprising how Alia has got so many deft nuances right. It’s as if the actor has grown with the character. She is truly one of the most promising new actors in Hindi films."[19] Sonia Chopra of Sify added that Bhatt is "[c]ompletely immersed" in her role, and that "Alia’s uninhibited and raw performance will have you emotionally invested in her character all through."[20]Though the film underperformed at the box office,[21] Bhatt won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and also garnered a Best Actress nomination at the ceremony.[22][23]
In Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala's joint production 2 States, Bhatt starred oppositeArjun Kapoor. An adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel of the same name, it narrates the story of two IIM Ahmedabad students who encounter trouble in convincing their parents to approve of their relationship. For her role as Ananya Swaminatham, a headstrong Tamil girl, she learnt the language.[24] Critics were appreciative of her performance with Rediff.compublishing that Bhatt "really grows into the character and makes you believe that she's a career-oriented IIM-A grad."[25]Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express added that Bhatt was a "surprise" and was "easy and fresh and natural."[26] The film emerged as a top-grossing production, earning over ₹1.7 billion (US$25 million) worldwide.[15]
Bhatt's final film role in 2014 was as Kavya Pratap Singh, a Punjabi girl who engages in a romantic affair with a stranger a few days prior to her wedding, in the romantic comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Co-starring Varun Dhawan andSiddharth Shukla, the film was described as a tribute to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) by Johar, who served as producer.[27] Writing for India Today, Rohit Khilnani thought that Bhatt had pitched in "one of her best performances so far", though Nandini Ramnath of Mint found her performance to be lacking in subtlety, writing that she was "more comfortable acting out her feelings through dialogue and actions".[28][29] Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania proved to be her second consecutive release to earn over ₹1 billion (US$15 million).[15] Her accomplishments in 2014 led Box Office India to label her as the top Bollywood actress of the year.[30]
Also in 2014, Bhatt appeared in a short film on women's safety, entitled Going Home, from director Vikas Bahl.[31] She next reunited with Bahl to film the romantic comedy Shaandaar. Released in 2015, the film featured Shahid Kapoor and Bhatt as two insomniacs who fall in love during a destination wedding.[32] Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror criticised the film and wrote that Bhatt "socks life into her character but fails to pump any into this film".[33] Shaandaar earned little at the box office.[34]The year 2016 saw Bhatt take on the supporting part of a lively young girl with a buried past in Kapoor & Sons, a drama about a dysfunctional family starring Sidharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan.[35]
As of March 2016, Bhatt has four upcoming projects. She has completed work on Abhishek Chaubey's Udta Punjab, a thriller on substance abuse that co-stars Shahid and Kareena Kapoor.[36] Bhatt is filming for Gauri Shinde's next project, an untitled romantic drama, in which she plays the lead role opposite Shah Rukh Khan.[37] In addition, she has committed to star with Ranbir Kapoor in Ayan Mukerji's untitled fantasy film about a man with superpowers,[38] and to Karan Malhotra's drama Shhuddhi with Varun Dhawan.[39]
In addition to acting in films, Bhatt has performed at the Filmfare, Screen and Stardustaward ceremonies, and has also participated in a stage show in Hong Kong alongside Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra.[40] In 2013, she performed at a charity event with Dhawan, Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor and Huma Qureshi to raise funds for the flood-affected victims of Uttarakhand.[41] She also took part in a campaign for PETAto raise awareness about homeless animals.[42]
Bhatt has performed playback singing for the song "Sooha Saaha" in Highway (2014). A. R. Rahman, the composer of the film, invited her to his music school to undergo training.[43]Also in 2014, she sang the unplugged version of the song "Samjhawan", for the composersSharib-Toshi, in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.[44]
In 2014, Bhatt launched her own line of clothing for women, in association with the online fashion portal Jabong.com; she described the collection to be "very simple" and "very me".[45] She is also the celebrity endorser for a number of brands and products, includingCoca-Cola, Garnier and Maybelline.[46][47]
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