Divya
Alia Bhatt celebrates her 28th birthday today and the beauty has already made a mark as one of the most influential people of today’s generation.
Bhatt’s films Gangubai Kathiawadi and Brahmastra are two of the most awaited films as of now.
However, on her birthday, we’d like to trace back her ancestral roots to show you that this diva indeed had a diverse lineage. As per an HT report, Alia can trace her roots back to Kashmiri, Gujarati, German and Uttar Pradesh Muslim communities.
Parents
Alia Bhatt and her older sister Shaheen were born to parents Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan (both acclaimed in the Bollywood industry).
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Paternal Grandparents
The patriarch of the family – Nanabhai Bhatt, was a Hindu Nagar Brahmin from Porbander in the Kathiawad region of Gujarat. He was also a big part of the industry and was known for producing fantasy and mythological films. Apparently, Nanabhai Bhatt introduced the ‘twin’ phenomenon to Indian cinema.
Nanabhai, although married, had a long affair with Shirin Mohammad Ali who is Mahesh’s mother. Shirin was reportedly a Shia from Lucknow. Though they loved each other, Nanabhai never married her. Mahesh had been troubled by his parents’ relationship and even translated it on the screen with his film, Zakhm (1998).
Mahesh had spoken about his mother’s upbringing saying, “I don’t know what a father really is. I never really had one. I have no worthwhile memories of my father, therefore no idea of what a father’s role should be. I am the bastard child of a single Muslim mother, of Shirin Mohammed Ali.“
Maternal Grandparents
Soni Razdan’s mother Gertrude Hoelzer is German while her father, Narendra Nath Razdan, belongs to the Kashmiri Pandit community. Gertrude and Narendra had met when he was an architecture student in London. Soni was born and raised in Birmingham, UK, and came to India later in her life. That is the reason she is a British citizen, just like Alia.
Soni had said, “Dad was an extremely gifted violinist even drawing praise from Yehudi Menuhin. So, even as a student, he would tour all over Europe with the iconic classical Indian dancer Ram Gopal’s troupe. Dad had invited someone to one of his concerts in London, and since they could not make it, they had given the passes to my mum, saying she should go backstage and thank Mr Razdan after the show. That’s when they met and he invited her for a coffee...”
“On their return, mum made her home in Mumbai and became an accomplished nursery teacher introducing many progressive teaching methods in the city,” Soni had continued.
