Alia Bhatt’s versatile roles that showcase her rise as a modern superstar

Alia's Bollywood odyssey began with Karan Johar's glitzy campus drama 'Student of the Year'. As Shanaya, a stylish and popular high school girl, Alia was able to embrace youthful glamour and effortlessly reach a younger audience. While the role was frivolous compared to later performances, it launched her onto the scene as a promising newcomer with strong screen power. The movie's box office performance gave her a star-making debut, inviting more challenging roles. It was the beginning of her journey from teen sensation to all-around actress.

In 'Highway', Alia shocked audiences in the character of kidnapped Veera on her wedding night; instead of feeling fear, Veera associates captivity with freedom, regarding her travel through the "dark underbelly" of highways and desolate land as a type of freedom in captivity. Alia's ability to portray Veera's trauma, innocence, and ultimate joy was incredible, and this film represented a career shift for Alia. The role built a bedrock of her potential as an actress willing to break the so-called confines of conventional performances and leading to future powerhouse performances.

One of Alia's boldest performances came with 'Udta Punjab' as Mary Jane, a migrant worker wanting to become a hockey player. Alia's role underwent a tremendous physical and emotional transformation as Mary Jane's journey is marked by severe exploitation and entrapment by Punjab's drug crisis. Critics and audiences praised Alia for her fearlessness in portraying anguish, tenacity, and hope even amidst the hopelessness of the situation. Alia delivered a career-defining performance that demonstrated she was fully capable of taking on socially-charged, complex narratives, with incredible depth.

In 'Raazi', Alia Bhatt played the character of Sehmat, a young Indian woman who marries into a Pakistani military family to become an effective spy during the 1971 war. Yet the performance was remarkable because it was not just about Sehmat’s patriotism—it was about her internal struggle of forming emotional connections, on the other side of the enemy line. Alia balanced modesty and subtlety in her expressions, stifled her natural outgoing dialogue delivery, and yet displayed understated strength. Alia propelled the movie forward through her performance, and it was a commercial and critical success, not least because of Alia's strength, but also her likability. She proved her ability as a leading, gravitas-filled character, filled from the inside and not outside, movie character.

In 'Gully Boy', Alia Bhatt set things ablaze with her portrayal of Safeena, the possessive and yet extremely loyal girlfriend. 'Safeena' was hardly the film's star character, even though Ranveer Singh's Murad acts along the lines of the story. But Alia, with her quick wit and fiery temper was able to ensure that Safeena would leave a hosanna upon the audience; through her assertive ambition and underlying self-confident strength; with incredible comic timing and emotional extremes, she showed a different idea of strength. Alia proved that even an edge role would make the audience feel any presence heavier than the last full 1 hour of Gully Boy plus and minus.

Arguably her most iconic portrayal, 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' saw Alia take on the role of a powerful brothel madam who rises from traumatic beginnings to have power as a voice for marginalized women. Written and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Alia had the challenge of conveying the vulnerability, resilience, and relentless authority of the character. With moving monologues and bombastic visual displays, Alia poured every ounce of herself into Gangubai, which made her one of Bollywood's most unforgettable characters. Critics applauded the performance as her career-defining role, one that transitioned her stature from star to bona fide powerhouse performer capable of carrying an epic on her shoulders.

In Karan Johar's visually rich family drama 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani', Alia played Rani, a journalist who represents confidence, glamour, and progressive ambition. The role allowed Alia to converge romance, comedy, and drama all within the confines of family, tradition, and individuality. What transpired was Alia's command of the actor's archetype, blending star power with imagined emotional beats. She had stunning chemistry with Ranveer Singh, and had riveting moments entirely solo that were aware, present in a depth of determination. It cements Alia as a modern superstar that balances mass appeal while still telling forward-thinking stories.