Alia Bhatt: Megastar on the rise

With a decade-long span of versatile films in her filmography, Alia Bhatt has combatted all the usual conventional norms of how restricted the shelf life of a female superstar is.  Her goal is simple and one at that – onwards and upwards.

The recent success of the female-led Gangubai Kathiawadi is a testament to the credibility that Alia Bhatt has as an actress. Carrying a film with such a radical and piercing storyline to the finishing line is no easy task. Thriving in a post-pandemic world, Alia’s passion project bore fruit in abundance, and it's no wonder people are now calling her the female superstar.

Raazi was Alia’s first female-led film to enter the much-coveted 100-crores club, but what makes Gangubai Kathiawadi's soaring success even sweeter is that this film turned out to be the biggest non-holiday opening in Bollywood led by an actress. To achieve a feat of such magnitude is no easy task, considering the many controversies that the film found itself embroiled in while it was being made.

If the box-office collections weren’t enough, the film was recently released on a leading OTT platform, and it easily bagged the top reigning position in no time and has been ranking first ever since. It shows the impression and impact that Alia has cultivated in such a short span of time, making her one of the biggest superstars in Indian Cinema today. At the age of 29, she has bagged herself a Hollywood film alongside Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. She has also embarked on a new journey as a producer with her company Eternal Sunshine Productions and her first venture titled Darlings features respected names such as Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma.

As the youngest superstar keeps adding more feathers to her already gleaming hat, let us glance over her trajectory. Presenting a list of her top films that highlight the rise and rise of Alia Bhatt:

Student of the year (2012)

Alia Bhatt was not taken quite that seriously when she debuted in the company of other newbies Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra.  She was seen as a young girl with an impeccable taste in style. But, her overt flamboyance did have a certain ingenuity about it that made people remember her. People discussed whether she will be able to sustain herself in the cutthroat film industry. She was in the danger of being dismissed as yet another industry kid. Though viewers liked her in the songs, especially the Radha song, she actually didn't have much to do in the film which was more about the competition between the two boys. Student of the year was not the pedestal that put her on the map, but it was the beginning of a new era that dawned with her next film – Highway.

Highway (2014)

Then came the year that cemented Alia’s strong foothold in Bollywood. She really showed her mettle as a performer in this Imtiaz Ali directorial and people started taking her seriously  as an actor. Highway saw Alia playing an unglamorous character of Veera – an abuse victim who had been combatting life’s trials amidst trauma and claustrophobia. Her nuanced portrayal opposite veteran Randeep Hooda was a startling refreshment for people who took a moment to believe that this was the same Alia Bhatt who had played the role of a spoilt girl in her debut film. The masses, critics as well as filmmakers now came to know about her versatile streak and she started getting bigger and better films.

2 States (2014)

With just 2 years into entering the industry, 2014 was a year of many firsts for Alia. Be it content-driven or commercial successes, every win was her to take, and she did so efficiently. 2 States was a book adaptation with the same title and written by Chetan Bhagat. Any remaining doubts questioning Alia’s versatility were washed out with this film as she played another diametrically opposite character from her last film. Here she was seen as a chirpy and confident girl – Ananya. Fun and intelligent but never forgoing the importance of standing for the truth. Alia’s portrayal of a girl in love but with a modern outlook was loved by the audience. Her cynicism became her biggest weapon as she waded her way through deep waters and became the shining star of the film which is one of her biggest hits to date.

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014)

She reunited with her debut co-star – Varun Dhawan in this out-and-out commercial blockbuster. She played the role of Kavya Pratap Singh in a classic Bollywood romance with a little flavoured essence of a new-age love story. Some even saw the similar patterns of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge being replicated on a modernised palette. It was an all-out entertainer replete with foot-tapping dance numbers to soulful music chartbusters. Alia did complete justice to playing this easy-breezy role of a chic and educated girl who wants to do right by her family but the tables seem to turn when she meets Humpty and love leads the way. Alia made her presence stronger in the commercial film universe as a thorough Bollywood entertainer.

Kapoor and Sons (2016)

A slice of life comedy-drama helmed by Shakun Batra, Alia had Sidharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan as her cos-star and going by the trailer, people thought it was yet another love triangle. She played the role of Tia Malik in the film – a happy-go-lucky girl who unfortunately lost her parents in an accident. As she develops a relationship with both brothers who return home to their dysfunctional family after their beloved grandfather survives a cardiac arrest, Alia has more to offer than what meets the eye initially. She was a friend, philosopher, and guide to the people she cared for. The film was critically acclaimed, and it continued to show the uprising graph from playing a troubled character like Veera in Highway to a sorted character like Tia in Kapoor and sons.

Udta Punjab (2016)

An Abhishek Chaubey directorial, Udta Punjab was a black comedy as well as a crime drama.  This film that focused on the relentless drug abuse by the young crowd in India had her play a young woman who goes through much in life but doesn’t lose hope. As Kumari Pinky – a Bihari migrant living in Punjab, Alia was absolute perfection as she mastered the befitting body language and the Bihari accent. The most refreshing aspect of the film was that no one ever imagined that Alia would be doing such a challenging role at such a young age. As mentioned by Alia in a leading portal – that's probably what attracted her to do the film in the first place.

Dear Zindagi (2016)

There were more reasons to love Gauri Shinde’s coming-of-age drama – Dear Zindagi. Not only did the storyline focus on the importance of mental health, but it saw Alia Bhatt collaborating with Shah Rukh Khan for the first time on-screen. Alia was like a breath of fresh air as she displayed the mindset of a lot of young girls in today’s age – a young and budding cinematographer who seems unable to find happiness. Then, she meets a life-affirming psychologist who reawakens a fresh perspective and outlook on life that alters her mindset forever. The relatability quotient of the film was astounding and with someone like Alia who is seen as a representative of the millennial crowd – her portrayal was all the more believable.

Raazi (2018)

Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi made Alia touch new heights both as a performer and a bankable star. Alia had previously shared her hesitation for this Indian spy thriller film, but it turned out to be her first 100 crore entry where she was the first billed star and she increasingly became unstoppable after its release.  Alia Bhatt played the role of the real-life spy Sehmat Khan – a Kashmiri spy who gets married to a family consisting of military officers in Pakistan. The strong portrayal of a young woman who is ready to do anything for her country made the audience root for her character. It was yet another unglamorous role in a content-rich film. Alia won various accolades for her performance and cemented her versatility as an actor yet again.

Gully Boy (2019)

With Gully Boy – Alia Bhatt further proved that the time frame in a film is hardly of consequence when your role is as hard-hitting as it can be in the limited screen time given to you. She played the feisty Safeena Firdausi in this Zoya Akhtar musical. She matched her steps with that of Ranveer Singh and some even say she stole a march over him playing the jealous, possessive girlfriend. From a film with such a patriotic approach in Raazi, Gully Boy was yet another layer of the kind of characters Alia can play. It was nothing as sacrificing as Sehmat in Raazi, however, it was a character with a very headstrong approach. Safeena believes in speaking up and out loud, expresses her anger, and takes over control when the situation demands so. She's ambitious and unorthodox and totally believable. And it's indeed one of her most beloved characters among the films she has done so far.

Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)

Based on a chapter in S Hussain Zaidi's book The Mafia Queens Of Mumbai, the SLB directorial was hailed as a larger-than-life portrayal of the life of Mumbai's prostitutes.  Alia was her own competition in the film, and she outshone herself in it. Alia embodied every aspect of  her character with aplomb. Her angst, her grief, as well as her determinaton to make things better for herself and other prostitutes was almost palpable. She comes from a privilged background and yet excelled both as a prostitute and later as the madam of the brothel and a politician. One couldn't say where life ended and acting began. She was the solo lead of the film, which was released just on the cusp of relaxation of covid norms. People were still hesitant to go to the theatres but strong word-of-mouth publicity about her power-packed performance turned the film into a 100 crore winner. Alia rose to a stature unattained by such a young actress for a long time.

Alia Bhatt is now on the rise as she has expanded her geographical footprint as well. Soon after Gangubai Kathiawadi, her short yet contributing role in SS Rajamouli’s RRR was admired, and the film has broken several box-office records. Her upcoming film Brahmastra where she will be sharing screen space with her now-husband Ranbir Kapoor is also a multilingual project about to hit the screens.She is unstoppable and rightfully so – Alia Bhatt is indeed the undisputed queen of Bollywood, and she is here to stay.

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