The Reluctant Millennial

At 24, Alia Bhatt is one by definition, but does this Bollywood power player adhere to the notions of Gen Y'ers?

- Namrata Kedar

What were you doing at 24? A question that nagged me as I sat across Alia Bhatt in her trailer, watching her flawless skin transform into dewy perfection. You were… probably wondering where your next paycheck would come from? If the guy you liked on Tinder will swipe right, or if you should Eat Pray Love your existential crisis into ‘finding yourself’?

It’s easy for us on the outside to watch Bhatt on our screens – she has nine films to her name, over 13 million followers on Instagram and 10 million Twitteratis hanging on to every one of her 140 characters – to assume she has it all. But the superstar is battling the very same millennial problems we are, while also plotting Bollywood domination one film at a time.

Bhatt has appeared in films spread across the genre spectrum – debuting with the teeny bopper Student Of The Year, breaking out in Highway soon after, reaching critical highs in Udta Punjab, and ticking the rom-com genre off her list with films like 2 States and Shandaar.

Mirroring her personal steps into adulthood (she recently purchased a home of her own) professionally, Bhatt is also a performer who has mostly followed her compass towards complex characters, always balancing them out with young, relevant and millennial choices. Dear Zindagi tackled the issue of depression that plagues Gen Y – a topic that hits close to home since her sister Shaheen has dealt with depression and has been vocal about it. “My sister suffered from depression her entire life. People come up to her and say that she is brave to have spoken about it. She is not brave – it’s as common as a cold. Nobody thinks you are brave for talking about flu, do they?”