Alia Bhatt on nepotism: I was very defensive, but then realised there is a lot of struggle

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Alia Bhatt is among the best actresses in Bollywood at present. She is the daughter of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actor Soni Razdan. The actress made her acting debut with Karan Johar's Student Of The Year in 2012. The actress has been at the receiving end for the last few years as a section of people call her a nepotism product.

Reacting to nepotism and receiving opportunities, Alia said in an interview with InStyle Australia, "So I naturally was also more inclined towards it, but it is not like my father ever spoke to me like, Oh, the day you want to act, we will give you this movie. He never brought that up. Never. And, in fact, my mum struggled as an actor. Not many people know this. She was always looking for more work as an actor. She does not feel like she got her acting due, and this is being married to a director and producer."

The actress shared that she would be defensive about it but now, she has realised her privilege. "My initial response to it was very defensive. Because I just felt like, you know, I work hard, so why the question? But I think with time and age. You realise that there is a lot of struggle in the world. There is a case in admitting the headstart and acknowledging I had an easier path to get into the room," Alia added.

During Mid-Day's Sit with Hitlist, Alia's mentor Karan Johar reacted to being biased towards her. He launched the actress with Student Of The Year. "I haven't and I will not apologize for anything. I will cast who I feel is right. If that person happens to be related to somebody in the industry then so be it. Alia is like my first child. I will always love her in public in person and she will always be part of my life and you can keep saying things, you can call me what you want," he said.

Workwise, Alia was recently announced as the winner of the 69th National Film Awards as the Best Actress for Gangubai Kathiawadi.