The young Bollywood star taking on Hollywood

Alia Bhatt's superstar appeal cannot be overstated.
At the age of 30, she has become a megastar in Bollywood. For certain people (your writer includes herself among them), she's one of the hottest names out there.

If you're not into Indian films, you might not have come across her - until recently, that is.
Last year, Bhatt made her Hollywood debut. All of a sudden, she was introduced to a global audience.
Now, she's backing a new drama series about wildlife crime.

"People have the power to make a difference, whether it's in this industry or any other," she tells BBC News.
Bhatt was born into a Bollywood family, to a film-maker father, Mahesh Bhatt, and an actress mother, Soni Razdan.
Razdan was born in Birmingham, England, and Bhatt, though born in India, describes herself as British.

In an interview with Wired last year, she answered the most googled questions about her, one of which was: "Is she British?" Bhatt responded with a resounding yes.

Bhatt had her first leading role at the age of 18, and has starred in dozens of Hindi films since then. She lives in Mumbai with her actor husband, Ranbir Kapoor, and their one-year-old daughter.

The pair are one of Bollywood's power couples. It's an industry that has always been ruled by family dynasties.
Bhatt starred in 2023 romantic comedy Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, which was a smash hit at the box office.