Karan Johar’s protégé and Student of the Year star, Alia Bhatt, speaks about her debut!

Karan Johar’s discovery, Alia Bhatt, has given teenage girls a new idol to look up to. At the tender age of 19, this young actress who hails from one of Bollywood’s most prominent families, Alia seems to have achieved it all! The young actor is the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and the sister of actress Pooja Bhatt. Making her debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year alongside newcomers Siddharth Malhotra and David Dhawan, Alia has been enjoying a lot of attention lately!

Speaking about just how she bagged the role for the film, Alia Bhatt recently stated in an interview, “I got a call from Dharma Productions asking for my pictures. Then I met Karan Johar and he asked me to audition for the role. By then Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra were already on board. Karan told me I had to lose weight. He put me on a diet program with Zarine Watson. Five months later we did a test shoot. I still remember the day when Karan gifted me this giant cup cake. I was busy gorging on it, when he told my mom that he would be directing the film and wanted me for the lead role.”

After a successful debut, Alia has been rumored to be dating Varun Dhawan. The actress has denied this gossip of a boyfriend however, saying, “I don’t really care about people discussing my personal life. I’m fond of Varun and Sid but no I’m not going out with either. And no, I have no boyfriend in Bandra. A boyfriend doesn’t really fit into my scheme of things right now. My boyfriend is Student of the Year,”

Karan Johar’s Student of the Year – The competition of a life-time

Karan Johar is known as a multifaceted filmmaker and for good reason. The Dharma Productions chief has unveiled five directorial ventures till today and has covered some of the most important subjects that relate to our day to day lives. With his first film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Karan Johar showcased bubblegum romances and teenage love. His next film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), brought traditional family values to the big-screen in a perfect way. What followed was Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), a film with a subject that brought a new phase of cinema to the big-screen, revolving around adultery. Karan then addressed political issues in his 2010 film, My Name Is Khan, bringing to light the mistreatment of Indians in the United States of America.

His latest film, Student of the Year, brought to life campus romances yet again. The film released on the 19th of October, 2012, and starred debutants Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. The film revolves around the lives of three students at a premium educational academy, St. Teresa’s High School, Dehradun. Presided over by a gay school dean named Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor), the school has organized a Student of the Year competition annually to decide the best student at school. Abhimanyu Singh (Siddharth), a newbie at school, is introduced to a new life, different from that of his middle-class upbringing. He ends up befriending Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan), a rich and affluent boy. He also crosses paths with Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt), the prettiest girl at school while hanging out with her boyfriend Rohan.

As time flies, a love triangle ensues, with Abhi falling in love with Shanaya, despite the fact that her boyfriend is his best friend. Shanaya unknowingly finds herself falling for Abhi, reciprocating his feelings. When her boyfriend finds out, things fall apart and a rivalry grows between the boys.
Watch this Karan Johar blockbuster to know who wins the competition of a life-time!

Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, a coming-of-age campus romance sprinkled with rivalry!

Student of The Year

A campus romances is assured to grab attention and Karan Johar latest directorial venture, Student of the Year, has done just that! The film released on the 19th of October and is Karan Johar’s fifth film. Karan has previously called the shots for films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010). Unlike his previous films, all of which have had star-filled casts, Karan Johar’s Student of the Year includes three newcomers in the lead. For the film, the director roped in model-turned-actor Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan (director David Dhawan’s son) and Alia Bhatt (director Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter), all of who have made their first silver-screen appearance.

In this coming-of-age film, Siddharth Malhotra plays the role of the righteous and independent Abhimanyu Singh. A state-level runner and a brilliant student, Abhimanyu is competitive and a natural leader. Hailing from a Delhi-based middle class family, Abhimanyu seeks to fund his own education and is enrolled at the esteemed St. Theresa’s High School in Dehradun on a scholarship. At the school, Abhimanyu meets Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan), the son of a business tycoon. Arrogant and proud, Rohan locks horns with Abhimanyu. As the movie proceeds, Abhimanyu and Rohan beat all odds to nurture a friendship.

To add to the mix, Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) steps into the plot. Rohan’s childhood sweetheart and a girl who hates to be put down, Shanaya begins to grab Abhimanyu’s attention. Things take a turn with the announcement of the Student of the Year competition. The film’s three protagonists are faced with competition, envy, triumph, failure, manipulation and heartbreak as each of them then begin competing against each other to win the prestigious title.

Siddharth Malhotra rubbishes rumors of dating Alia Bhatt

Siddharth Malhotra

Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt have had a dream debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year. The film has worked as a perfect launch pad for the three debutants. Directed by Karan Johar, this film is jointly produced by Dharma Productions and Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. A campus romance in essence, the film revolves around a love triangle that forms the basic premise of this film.

And as always, with fame comes a bunch of rumors. Some of these have claimed Siddharth Malhotra to be dating his co-star, the gorgeous Alia Bhatt. The two actors have however put these rumors to rest. In regards to the matter, Siddharth Malhotra articulated, "Aaah, no I am not involved with anyone right now and there is no dating-shating happening. People who have been in this journey of mine are my family members and very close friends. Beyond that there is no one else in my close relation with." In a separate interview previously, Siddharth also said, “Everything written in the media should not be taken seriously. It's a mental game. You need to detach yourself from reviews, media, etc. How to survive before and after release too matters a lot.”

And it isn’t just Siddharth Malhotra who seems unaffected by these rumors. Quoting Alia, “My father (Mahesh Bhatt) had warned me that this would happen. I was prepared for these speculations. What I’m worried about is the expectations. People are just waiting to write you off. I’ve got this platform at an early age. Many girls would want to be in my shoes. I don’t want such false rumors to overshadow my work.”

In the film, Siddharth plays the role of Abhimanyu Singh aka Abhi while Alia Bhatt plays Shanaya Singhania. Varun Dhawan plays her boyfriend Rohan Nanda and the film also includes Rishi Kapoor playing a gay school dean.