Alia Bhatt birthday special: From SOTY's Shanaya to Dear Zindagi's Kaira, how the SHAANDAAR actress packs a punch with her nuance performances

Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, who won the hearts of the audience with her bubbly avatar in Karan Johar's Student Of The Year in 2012, is turning 25 on March 15.

In her showbiz journey of around six years, the diva has clearly proved that she is an exception when it comes to acting, versatility and dedication.

In fact, Alia made sure to leave the critics awestruck with her debut as Shanaya in SOTY. And over the years, the actress has been consistent in giving nuanced performances everytime she hits the silver screen.

Despite her young age of 25, the Highway actress has made sure to leave the audience wanting for more and not disappoint her fans.

Indeed, post her debut with Student Of The Year, the Bhatt girl has come a long way and has been doing an excellent job when it comes to career growth.

In her first performance as Shanaya in SOTY, Alia played the role of a glam-doll who would give instant nostalgic trips to Kareena Kapoor as Poo from K3G. Many Bollywood critics had typecasted her as the starkid who would be the new ‘girl-next-door’ of tinselville.

But, two years later, Alia floored all the critics when she acted as Veera in Imtiaz Ali's Highway. The movie showed the actress as a sexually assaulted girl. Highway became a table turner for Alia as it was hard to imagine the glam-doll essay this serious role with such perfection. She indeed became everyone's favorite and since then there's been no looking back for her.

Besides, Alia also shed off her glamorous avatar for Anurag Kashyap's Udta Punjab, where she played the role of a Bihar migrant. This made her excel in the art of versatility as she immersed every bit of herself into the skin of the character. Her role of Mary Jane in Udta Punjab, which dealt with the sensitive issue of substance abuse, is considered to be one of the most challenging roles in Alia's career and she portrayed it with much gravitas.

The stylish diva also got back in her girl-next-door, bubbly avatar in movies like 2 States and Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and once again managed to win the audience's hearts. She was seen playing roles which the youth could easily relate to. 

And then her performance as Kiara in Gauri Shinde's Dear Zindagi made her a brand in the industry. Her natural acting and the way she played the role completely justified her character of a young, independent and misunderstood woman who is struggling to get in peace with her past.

In each of her performance, her expressions, body language and acting speak volume about her talent.

Although Alia is often considered a product of nepotism in the industry, given that she is the daughter renowned filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, her zeal and dedication have proved that it is sheer talent, dedication and hardwork that makes one stand out. Moreover, her enthusiasm to step out of her comfort zone and experiment with different types of roles and give everything her best effort makes her a director's actor in every sense. 

Talking about her dedication, one would laud her for her professional approach as Alia will be working on her birthday this year despite the fact that it is a milestone birthday for her as she is turning 25 years.

The actress is currently shooting in Bulgaria for Ayan Mukerji's upcoming directorial Bhramastra opposite Ranbir Kapoor and given the busy shooting schedule, the actress will spend her birthday on the sets itself.

Alia will also be seen in Meghna Gulzar's upcoming directorial Raazi opposite Vicky Kaushal. She will essay the role of a Kashmiri spy in the movie who marries a Pakistani man during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

On her 25th birthday, we wish Alia more success as she continues to impress viewers with her work in the coming years.