​Launched with much fanfare in Student Of The Year by Karan Johar no less, and being born in a filmy household, definitely has its perks. Ask petite, 20 year old Alia Bhatt, who’s recently returned from a shooting stint across the country for Imtiaz Ali’s Highway.

“I have gone to some of these locations on school trips, but this was something else, she chirps. We were actually travelling and exploring places I would have never dreamt of seeing otherwise it was very, very tiring, but I am happy tired - I am looking forward to more and more such travels,” said the actress in an interview to Mumbai Mirror.

For Bhatt, the road trip was an eye opener it seems.

“There were fields after fields and I was surprised to see that mostly women worked on there. This just shows how hard women work everywhere. Their faces were covered with colourful dupattas, but their clothes were all bold and not conservative at all. That is what made them so attractive.”

The Bhatt gal also insists that she’s tough and doesn’t need men to protect her.

“We are tougher than them, we can take care of ourselves”, she said

Interestingly, she always wanted to be an actress.

“I have grown up not being exposed to the world outside too much. But I always wanted to be an actress and I knew what it meant to be one. So I am not really uncomfortable being an actress. Rather, I am actually enjoying it.”

And like a true diva she concludes the interview with:

“I stay grounded by being in touch with my friends and no I don’t need a man in my life right now,”

In addition to Highway, Mahesh Bhatt’s feisty daughter will be seen in 2 States with Arjun Kapoor.