Karan Johar on Alia Bhatt: ‘I spotted that there was something about her but I didn’t use her talent at all’

Filmmaker Karan Johar, who considers Alia Bhatt his god child, has confessed that he couldn’t utilise her talent to a great extent despite launching her in Bollywood with the film, Student of the Year in 2012. Karan has also said that though he will be directing her in his upcoming multi-starrer period drama, Takht, they are yet to make a film together they can be known for.

Talking about working with Alia, Karan Johar told Rajeev Masand in an interview, “She wasn’t used for her talent at all. In many ways, her emotional launch is Student of the Year but her real professional launch is Imtiaz Ali’s Highway. The way he nurtured her as an actor, the way he put her out there is something I didn’t do at all. I always spotted that there was something about her but I didn’t use her talent at all. I actually don’t feel I full-fledgedly ever directed Alia the way I would like to do.”

Karan is set to direct Alia for the second time in his upcoming film, Takht. However, the actor will have her limited screen share in the film which boasts of a huge ensemble cast of Vicky Kaushal, Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Anil Kapoor.

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Looking dissatisfied with his and Alia’s upcoming collaboration, Karan said, “Even Takht is an ensemble, she has a solid part in a way that she is extremely beautiful. It is one of my favourite tracks in the film but I still feel believe she and I have a film to make. A film that we can be known for. I haven’t really leveraged this whole lot of talent that we know.” Karan is yet to confirm Alia’s role in the film. While Ranveer Singh plays Dara Shikoh in the film, Vicky Kaushal is Aurangzeb; Anil Kapoor plays their father Shahjehan with Kareena Kapoor as Jahanara Begum.

The teaser of Takht released on February 1.

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