"I had decided to become an actress when I was much younger,” says Alia Bhatt

Alia Bhatt has quickly turned popular after her successful debut in Karan Johar’s latest release titled Student of the Year. She starred in the film’s lead alongside two more debutants, Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, both of who vie for her attention in this campus romance. The 19-year-old is the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan and hails from a strong filmy background, with Pooja Bhatt for an elder sister.

However, being young and a fresher hasn’t kept Alia Bhatt from proving her worth in front of the cameras. "There are actresses who started working at a very young age. Like my sister (Pooja Bhatt) started working when she was 17. So age doesn't matter," says Alia. "I had decided to become an actress when I was much younger. It was a conscious decision. I just didn't know it would happen as soon as I finish my college".

Being from one of the most illustrious families in B-town didn’t keep Alia from choosing to launch her career with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions instead. “If a doctor’s son wants to be a doctor, he’s sent to a medical school to study. In the same way, I want to go out and study acting for myself. If I had started off with my father’s film, it would’ve all been too easy,” says Alia.

That apart, Alia wasn’t handpicked for this Karan Johar directorial venture. Instead, the pretty young actress was required to audition for the film to prove her knack for the big screen. "I had decided that I would not start off with my father's production only because it's an easier option. For this film, I had to work for it, like lose weight, prove myself, etc. There were around 500 girls who had given the auditions along with me."