We may not have been the biggest fans of her debut in Student Of The Year. But, the actress proved her mettle right from her second release, Highway. From typical high-school Shanaya to bold and fearless Sehmat, the actress has a dynamic acting portfolio that excels itself each time she appears on our screens.  

Alia Bhatt is the best and here are the performances that scream of her acting prowess.

1. Udta Punjab

Alia Bhatt’s performance as a suffering migrant laborer from Northern India in Udta Punjab is undoubtedly one of her most compelling performances. Her character went through some really disturbing sh*t, but her spirit was indomitable. And honestly, Bhatt was so intimidating with her depiction of frustration, anger, plight, trauma, and even growth in the end. It was legit goosebumps when her monologue sequence came up!

2. Raazi

We were all drawn to Sehmat’s moving tale. Alia Bhatt’s performance as an Indian undercover spy agent in Pakistan was as convincing as it could get. She portrayed the tussle between fear and love, vulnerability and resilience, the love for her husband and the love for her country so seamlessly that we were all spell-bound.

3. Gully Boy

Only Alia Bhatt could have pulled off a character as nuanced as Safeena. While Gully Boy was centered around Ranveer Singh’s character and his journey to become the biggest underground rapper in India, Alia Bhatt made sure she grips the audience with her on screen presence. She was bold, daring, witty, charming, reselient, and vulnerable at the same time. Versatile AF!

4. Dear Zindagi

Couldn’t we all empathize with Kaira and her plight? Alia Bhatt’s portrayal of a young Indian woman trying to chart her career while going through an emotional rollercoaster was exceedingly relatable. Alia gave a feel to Kaira that her coming-of-age seemed refreshingly realistic and empowering.

5. Gangubai Kathiawadi

Alia Bhatt took her acting portfolio several notches higher with her breathtaking performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi. Her portrayal of a woman’s journey from a young, timid sex worker to becoming one of the most powerful figures in the Mumbai mafia was supremely thought-provoking. While watching, I legit forgot all of Alia’s previous performances. It was unlike anything we had seen from her before.

6. Kapoor & Sons

Kapoor & Sons was a multi-starrer movie premised upon a family drama. Alia Bhatt was not even one of the family members, but her presence and compelling performance were a positive ray of relief from the serious nature of the movie. Reportedly, Karan Johar tried his best to convince Alia not to go for the movie, but she did it anyway because of her love for the script. 

7. Kalank

When we are speaking of Alia’s versatility, we just cannot miss out on her role in Kalank. While the movie failed to perform well at the box office, Alia illuminated the screens with her mesmerizing performance in the forbidden love story. The movie was also Alia Bhatt’s first costume drama. And it’s also just another proof that there’s nothing that the actress cannot do.

8. Highway

Alia Bhatt’s performance in Highway was a legit mic-drop from the actress for everyone who had underestimated her skills on the basis of her debut. She was raw, gripping, and truly astounding in her role as Veera Tripathi who gets abducted a few nights before her wedding, but develops affection for her kidnapper. 

Alia Bhatt is just a decade old in the film industry, and her resume already labels her as a superstar. While the actress is rocking in Bollywood, we can’t wait to see her outshine herself yet again in the Hollywood movie, Heart of Stone.