Alia Bhatt in Karan Johar’s movie ‘Student Of The Year ‘

Alia Bhatt, daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan is making her debut in Karan Johar’s movie “Student of the Year” which releases on October 19.

 

Karan recalls how a tubby, 17-year-old Alia came to his office in her school uniform. “She reminded me of a vintage Pooja Bhatt,” smiles the filmmaker. Alia was brought to KJo’s notice by his writer, Niranjan Iyengar and auditioned by his casting director Nandini Shrikent

Karan tested around 500 girls – models, beauty pageant winners, girls from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore for the role but what came as a pleasant surprise to him was that Alia made it to the initial shortlist of 10.

She danced with jhatkas and matkas to the song ‘Bahara’ from “I Hate Luv Story” by putting her hair up and aping the typical Bollywood heroine to the hilt. KJo felt the girl has the perfect mannerisms of a Hindi film heroine and the moment he saw her name on the shortlist he called her and asked if she will you lose weight. Alia agreed and KJo sent her to a dietician and three months later, she was back in his office, 16 kilos lighter, looking svelte and exuberant.

Karan says that Alia is meant for the movies and it feels well worth directing the youngest dynamite girl.