Ever since the promos of Highway have begun doing the rounds, we’ve only been noticing one thing – that Alia Bhatt looks waaay different from her Student of the Year avatar. It would have been so easy for her to not be taken seriously, because post-SOTY, there was (at least in some circles) the perception of her being nothing more than a glam doll and star kid. However, Highway seems to be giving everyone a pause, and if Alia does nail this role, then it’ll send out a clear message to everyone: she’s here to stay, and she’s not in the industry just because she’s Mahesh Bhatt‘s daughter.
The question, though, is whether she will nail the role. While the rest of us will have to wait until February 21st to find out, there are two people who have already been full of praises for her: Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, her co-stars from her first film. During a recent press round for his own film, Hasee Toh Phasee, Sid claimed that Alia was very “spontaneous” and “energetic.” He also said that Highway would prove a lot for Alia as an actor, and she will surprise everyone: “You have seen nothing about Alia. Just wait and watch.”
Meanwhile, Varun ranked her at the top of the pile in the industry today, which is quite the compliment for someone who has only done two films. When asked on Kofffee With Karan to rank the female leads in terms of acting talent, Varun said, “I’ve seen Highway, so Alia, number one.” He then ranked the rest as: Deepika Padukone, Parineeti Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor.
What are your thoughts? Will Alia Bhatt prove herself with Highway? Her Student of the Year co-stars, Sidharth and Varun, seem to think so!