Alia Bhatt is the daughter of Bollywood film director Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan. Her father is of Gujarati descent and mother is of Kashmiri-German ancestry. She has an elder sister, Shaheen, and two half-siblings, Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt. Actor Emraan Hashmi and director Mohit Suri are her paternal cousins, while producer Mukesh Bhatt is her uncle. Picture courtesy: Alia Bhatt's Instagram account @aliaabhatt

Despite being born in a Bollywood family, Alia Bhatt reportedly never wanted to be launched by her father Mahesh Bhatt. She was among 400-500 girls who auditioned for 'Student Of The Year'. Karan Johar then decided to cast her on one condition - that she would lose weight to fit the character of Shanaya in the film. Picture courtesy: Alia Bhatt's Instagram account @aliaabhatt

And she did! Alia Bhatt lost 16 kgs in three months of auditioning and went from flabby to fantastic for her debut in Karan Johar's 'Student of the Year'. Pic/mid-day archives

Alia Bhatt's Instagram photos speak of her love for pets and animals. Her adorable selfies with her cat are quite adorable. Picture courtesy: Alia Bhatt's Instagram account @aliaabhatt

Ans don't let her slim and petite frame fool you! Alia Bhatt is an ardent foodie. According to media reports, she loves French fries, yoghurt and cold beverages. As of now, the actress loves gorging on vegan meals. Picture courtesy: Alia Bhatt's Instagram account @aliaabhatt

Not only is Alia Bhatt a talented actress, but she is also skilled in creating charcoal paintings. Don't believe us? The picture beside is Alia's first charcoal painting. Picture courtesy: Alia Bhatt's Instagram account @aliaabhatt

The young starlet has performed playback singing for the song 'Sooha Saaha' in 'Highway' (2014) along with Pakistani singer Zeb Bangash. She also sang the unplugged version of the soulful track 'Samjhawan' in 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania' (2014). Pic/mid-day archives

Alia Bhatt's portrayal of a teenage girl who develops Stockholm syndrome in Imtiaz Ali's 'Highway' (2014) garnered critical acclaim. She won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and also garnered a Best Actress nomination at the same ceremony. Alia also won several awards for her performance in 'Udta Punjab'. Picture courtesy: Alia Bhatt's Instagram account @aliaabhatt

During the pandemic, Alia Bhatt launched her own clothing brand which highlights kids apparel. Initially, Alia was not much of a fashionista, but during the shooting for 'Student Of The Year', which saw her in the role of a brand-conscious style diva, she started loving the world of fashion.

AliaBhatt's first acting role was when she was just six years old as a child artist in 'Sangharsh' (1999), starring Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta, where she played the younger version of Zinta's character. Pic/mid-day archives