Happy birthday, Alia Bhatt: Her best unconventional roles
One of the leading ladies of Bollywood, Alia Bhatt, is only a decade old in the industry but has proved her caliber as an actor time and again. Since her acting debut with 2012's Student of the Year, Bhatt has delivered some mind-blowing performances in films such as Gully Boy. Celebrating her 31st birthday on Friday, we take a look at her unconventional roles.
'Highway' (2014)
Bhatt's first memorable character, which showed initial signs of her versatility as an actor, came with Imtiaz Ali's road drama Highway. Co-starring Randeep Hooda in the lead, the film was produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and was the second release of Bhatt's career. Upon its release, Bhatt was highly praised for her performance, with it becoming her career's breakthrough film.
'Udta Punjab' (2016)
Bhatt went completely "non-glam" for her role as Mary Jane in Abhishek Chaubey's crime-thriller Udta Punjab. She plays the role of a Bihari hockey player who is pushed to work as a laborer in Punjab. While working as a laborer in an agriculture farm, she comes across drug dealers who sexually and physically assault her.
'Raazi' (2018)
Meghna Gulzar's critically acclaimed film Raazi features Bhatt as Sehmat Syed, an Indian spy married to Pakistani army officer Iqbal Syed, played by Vicky Kaushal. Also starring Jaideep Ahlawat in a key role, it gained praise for Bhatt and Kaushal's performances, apart from its story and dialogues. Gulzar, apart from directing it, also wrote its dialogues and co-wrote its screenplay with Bhavani Iyer.
'Gangubai Kathiawadi' (2022)
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, this 2022 film features Bhatt in the titular role. Based on the book by journalist-turned-writer Hussain Zaidi, titled Mafia Queens of Mumbai, Gangubai Kathiawadi is a biopic on the life of Gangubai Kothewali who was thrown into prostitution against her will, only to become a voice of sex workers of Mumbai's Kamathipura area.