5 career-defining performances by Alia Bhatt: Birthday special

She might have made her debut in a Karan Johar glamour production, but Alia Bhatt possesses some of the fiery passion for cinema that defined her father, Mahesh Bhatt. Whether it is her choice of roles, or the courage to laugh at herself on the internet, the actress has quickly won over even her detractors.

Yet, it is as an actress that Alia Bhatt marks her rapid growth. Since making her debut, she has been nominated for the Filmfare award for Best Actress four times, for Highway (2014), Udta Punjab (2016), Dear Zindagi (2016), and Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017). 

The rise and rise of Alia Bhatt – Birthday special

From playing a rebel fighting her family to potraying a young woman fighting her demons, Alia Bhatt has managed to tap into the angst of a generation of young men and women. 

On her 25th birthday today (15 March), we take a look at five of her performances that provide a snapshot of her ability. 

1. Highway (2014) 

Coming right on the heels of her turn as the glamorous high school queen in Student Of The Year (2012), Alia Bhatt's transformation into Veera stunned critics and audiences alike. 

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Rebellious, vulnerable, and mercurial, the actress became the soul of a film that tells a tender story of a rich brat who falls for her abductor. Her high point comes in the final scene where she confronts her family and relatives for their silence over the abuse she faced all these years. She simply let rip the anger, forcing critics to award her the Filmfare for Best Actress (Critics). 

2. 2 States (2014) 

While this was a lighter film in every way, the performance did not waver in intensity. As Ananya, the actress played a young, ambitious Tamil girl who goes against her orthodox parents in choosing her love. 

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Whether it was delivering a serious burn to dowry apologists or simply being sassy, Bhatt managed to steal the show in a fairly mediocre film. 

3. Udta Punjab (2016) 

It is her innate innocence and ambition that has led Alia Bhatt to make some astonishing career choices. Playing Mary Jane in Abhishek Chaubey's Udta Punjab was one such.

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Playing the girl with big dreams who finds herself sucked into a vortex of drugs, violence and abuse, Mary Jane was a role that takes some beating as one of the top five performances of the decade. The actress won her first Filmfare award for Best Actress for the performance, and it was qulite justified.

4. Dear Zindagi (2016) 

Perhaps because of her performances, it is easy to forget that Alia Bhatt is only 25. In Gauri Shinde's wonderful little film, as Kaira, she managed to convey the angst, pain, and loneliness that follows an entire generation of young men and women.

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With Shah Rukh Khan for company, the actress delivered a performance that was endearing, identifiable and remains loved. 

5. Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017)

In an age of constant feminism, acting in another romantic drama is never going to endear you to the rebels. 

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However, in Shashank Khaitan's Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Alia Bhatt played the ambitious girl from small-town Jhansi seeking to fly across the world. When love seeks to bind her independence, she chooses her freedom over it. In doing so, the actress set a new example for girls of her generation who wish to surivive the world by themselves.