It has taken Alia Bhatt just four years to climb to the top of Bollywood, and starlets in the industry are watching the 23-year-old’s ascent to stardom with hopes of being next in line.
Bhatt made her debut in Karan Johar's 2012 romance Student of the Year. She was just 17. Fewer than 10 films later, she is already the darling of Indian media and has a sizeable fan base that's eagerly awaiting the release of Kapoor & Sons.
The successes
In 2014, Bhatt starred in three critically acclaimed films that established her as a rising star. Her portrayal of a teenage girl who develops Stockholm syndrome in Imtiaz Ali's Highway won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. The sensitively shot Two States, about a couple from diametrically different communities that was based on the book by best-selling Indian writer Chetan Bhagat, struck gold at the box office. The third film, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya, was an offbeat romantic comedy that was marketed as a tribute to India's all-time favourite romantic drama Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge, and was well-received.
Her single flop was the 2015 romantic comedy Shaandaar, in which she was cast alongside Shahid Kapoor – they played a couple of insomniacs who fall in love during a destination wedding.
The family
Bhatt comes from film royalty. She is the daughter of director Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan. Actor Emraan Hashmi and director Mohit Suri are her paternal uncles, while producer Mukesh Bhatt is also an uncle.
The media love her, too, for her carefully cultivated image of a happy-go-lucky girl. Like her dad, she is voluble and active on social media, and, perhaps taking after him, likes to express herself without inhibition.
"We talk very loudly, we are expressive and opinionated," she told The Indian Express recently. "If we are having a conversation, it will go through many tones. The conversation goes up and down and so, in that sense, we are completely schizophrenic. But at the same time we are very supportive about each other and passionate, too."
Branching out
Apart from her acting career, Bhatt has also emerged as a style icon and launched her own line of clothing on the Indian fashion portal jabong.com, which she describes as "very simple" and "very me". She can also sing and features on the tracks in two of her films, Highway and Humpty Sharma Ki Dukhaniya.
• Kapoor & Sons opens on Thursday, March 17
artslife@thenational.ae
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Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
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Director: Tim Burton
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Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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