It's been a whirlwind decade for Alia Bhatt, but it's only the beginning

Can you believe it's already been almost a decade of us having Alia Bhatt in our lives? Whew. We never thought when we watched her debut film Student of the Year back in 2012 that we would still be here so many years later recapping all the brilliant things the actress has accomplished. But here we are. 

Alia Bhatt is, to say the least, special. She's one of those once-in-a-lifetime people who are incredibly talented, incredibly good-looking, and incredibly charming. She has made a name for herself during her years in films as a box-office wonder, who always strives for perfection. Alia Bhatt grew up in Bollywood: The daughter of actress Soni Razdan and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was first seen in Sangharsh (1999) as a child actor. But she only returned to the big screen as a full-fledged actress, making her big Bollywood debut in Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year. The last few years have stood witness to the star’s meteoric rise from ingenue to one of the best actors in the industry, and much like her craft, Bhatt’s wardrobe has evolved since she first appeared in the public eye. 

Like many stars, Alia Bhatt has also encountered her fair share of controversy — in a 2013 episode of Koffee With Karan featuring her with her co-stars, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, she replied "Prithviraj Chauhan" when asked about the President of India by host Karan Johar — but has handled it with the utmost class (Post Koffee With Karan fiasco, former comedy group All India Bakchod helped Alia Bhatt perfectly and hilariously reply to jokes about her intelligence).

Below, a look at how the 25-year-old has taken over Bollywood and her style evolution over the years. 

Alia Bhatt’s filmography so far
Alia Bhatt debuted alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan in Karan Johar’s coming-of-age high school drama Student of the Year. Since then, she’s taken on a variety of challenging roles in films like Highway (2014), Udta Punjab (2016) and Dear Zindagi (2016). But that's not to say that she doesn't opt for movies with a more mainstream appeal—her filmography includes projects like 2 States (2014), Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014), Shaandaar (2015) and Kapoor & Sons (2016). In more recent years, the star gave a laudable performance in Raazi (2018) and Gully Boy (2019). Bhatt is garnering major buzz for her upcoming film, Brahmastra, a fantasy film written and directed by Ayan Mukerji, and produced by Karan Johar. The film also stars actors Amitabh Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor. Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor have been a topic of interest ever since their first public outing together, at actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja's wedding reception in 2018. Since then, Kapoor has gone on record to confirm his relationship with Bhatt, and Bollywood fans have been waiting with bated breath to see the real-life couple come together on the silver screen.

Alia Bhatt’s style files
Princess ball gowns, tulle dresses and chunky sandals ruled Alia Bhatt’s wardrobe during the promotional runs of her first film in 2012. Around 2014, the actress’ style took a turn as she experimented with colours and prints. Her bold red pantsuit and graphic-printed midi dress had her looking more grown-up than ever before. In the coming years, Bhatt was partial to feminine silhouettes. For red carpet events, she opted for black leather and tulle gowns, jacket and skirt sets, and a structured pink ball gown. 2016 had her turning to graphic prints in everything from organza ball gowns and pantsuits to bodycon dresses, and even sweatshirts that she coordinated with her sister, author Shaheen Bhatt. Among Alia Bhatt’s ethnic outfits, lehengas emerged as a clear favourite. Her picks included options that were paired with cape-style blouses, a lime green brocade number and a minimal-chic black lehenga. In early 2017, we spotted Bhatt getting on the athleisure bandwagon with tracksuits at the airport. But she’s known to pick numbers in unlikely shades; her millennial-approved purple and pink picks are from Adidas Originals. She is also clearly partial to denim and is often seen in a fitted, ripped pair of jeans when spotted in Mumbai.

(All photos courtesy Alia Bhatt's official Instagram account.)