Alia Bhatt On Self-Love, Films & Beauty

Alia Bhatt’s growth as a professional and an individual has been nothing short of inspiring. Kaveree Bamzai decodes the unique combination of style, substance and beauty that makes her irresistible

- Kaveree Bamzai

When she chanced upon SS Rajamouli at the airport one day, Alia Bhatt struck a conversation with him about how she’d love to work with him. A few months later, she had the Baahubali director giving her a call—he felt she had the right combination of strength and vulnerability to play Sita in his forthcoming RRR. When Inshallah, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film with Salman Khan and her, fell through, she went away for a month to deal with the devastation. But like a good student, she waited her turn; her patience paid off when Bhansali offered her the titular role in his Gangubai Kathiawadi.

At 28, Alia has already spent many years in the spotlight. She began shooting for her debut film Student of the Year at all of 17, and has come of age in the public eye. From being the butt of all jokes for her answer on Koffee with Karan (yes, that episode where she said Prithviraj Chauhan was the president of India!) to becoming India's sweetheart thanks to stirring performances as the traumatized addict in Udta Punjab (2016), a brave spy in Raazi (2018), and the maverick girlfriend in Gully Boy (2019). Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, one of her closest friends testifies, We've been friends since childhood and nothing, not the career and not the fame have changed anything between us.

After the pandemic hiatus—punctured only by a fairly unmemorable Sadak 2