Mahesh Bhatt says Alia Bhatt was ‘just a mannequin’ in Student of the Year in an honest review of her performances

Mahesh Bhatt, who is known for calling a spade a spade, recently talked about daughter Alia Bhatt's performance in her debut film Student Of The Year in an interview with India Today. Mahesh Bhatt also mentioned a few of his favourite performances from Alia's filmography. However, Mahesh called Alia "was just a mannequin" in Karan Johar's directorial which also marked Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra's debuts in the industry. According to Mahesh Bhatt, Alia delivered phenomenal performances in films like Highway and Udta Punjab.

Praising Alia's adapting qualities, Mahesh Bhatt also opined that Alia mastered the 'adivasi' accent in Udta Punjab despite being brought up in an urban setting. He told India Today, "I must say that I was devastated by Udta Punjab. I didn't understand when did this girl, this Juhu girl exposed to our home, where we live like a normal family... How did this Juhu girl get the accent right of an Adivasi from Chhattisgarh. It was amazing. I was astounded by that."

Charting Alia's growth over the years as an artiste, Mahesh Bhatt said, "Her raw power, and her ability to get into such a vulnerable space, and bare her heart. Highway and Udta Punjab... It was a departure from that girl who was just a mannequin in Student of the Year. You see the evolution in your child also." FYI, Highway was directed by Imtiaz Ali while Udta Punjab helmed by Abhishek Chaubey.