Karan Johar Admits Student Of The Year Was An Emotional Launch For Alia Bhatt

Mumbai: Karan Johar’s admiration for Alia Bhatt is evident, and in his interview with Komal Nahta, he discussed her remarkable journey in Bollywood. He highlighted that while he always saw Alia as a star, it was her performance in Highway that marked her professional turning point.

He acknowledged that her Student of the Year debut was emotionally significant, but Highway showcased her true acting prowess." I always thought Alia would be a star, but I could not imagine that she would become this kind of actress. I didn’t think of that. I knew she was a star and she was a good actress. She is solid, she can face the camera but I always say that her emotional launch is Student of the Year, but her professional launch is Highway."

Karan also shared how he placed big bets on Alia, along with Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, by treating them like megastars from the start. He believed that giving them confidence and top-tier treatment would help them rise to the occasion and perform at their best. "When I launched these three, I told my team that you should treat them like a mega stars only. So they were like, ‘What does that mean?’ I said, ‘Treat them like they’re already superstars because if you give them that confidence, they will face the camera like a star. If you treat them like a newcomers, they’ll give you a newcomer performance.’ They were given the best treatment. That didn’t mean I was spoiling them."

This approach was about empowering them rather than spoiling them, ensuring they faced the camera with the mindset of established stars.