- Emraan Hashmi and Alia Bhatt share a family connection.
- The link goes through veteran actress Purnima.
- Their families connect through the Bhatt family.
- Purnima was part of Bollywood’s golden era.
- Emraan is enjoying a fresh career high with Awarapan 2.
There are Bollywood connections that make you raise an eyebrow — and then there are family links that make you wonder how you missed them for so long.
Emraan Hashmi and Alia Bhatt may belong to different generations of Hindi cinema, but the two stars are actually related. The connection runs through Emraan’s grandmother, veteran actress Purnima, and eventually reaches one of Bollywood’s most recognizable filmmaking families.
And the timing could hardly be better. Emraan is currently enjoying renewed attention following the release of Awarapan 2, making his lesser-known connection to Alia an especially fun piece of Bollywood trivia.
IT STARTS WITH A VETERAN BOLLYWOOD STAR
The family story begins with Emraan’s grandmother, Purnima, whose real name was Meherbano Mohammad Ali.
Long before Emraan became known for films such as Murder, Jannat and Awarapan, Purnima had established herself as an actress in Hindi cinema. She worked from the 1940s onward and appeared in several films, including the iconic Amitabh Bachchan starrer Zanjeer.
But her importance to this particular story goes beyond her film career.
Purnima was the sister of Shirin Mohammad Ali, and that is where the family connection takes its most interesting turn.
FOLLOW THE FAMILY TREE TO ALIA BHATT
Shirin Mohammad Ali was the mother of filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt.
And Mahesh Bhatt, of course, is Alia Bhatt’s father.
That means the connection between Emraan and Alia comes from the same extended family rather than from their careers or Bollywood friendships.
Emraan’s father, Anwar Hashmi, and Mahesh Bhatt were first cousins. As a result, Emraan Hashmi and Alia Bhatt are second cousins.
Put simply, the family tree looks like this:
Purnima and Shirin Mohammad Ali → their extended family → Mahesh Bhatt and Anwar Hashmi → Alia Bhatt and Emraan Hashmi.
It is one of those Bollywood connections that becomes more surprising the further you trace it.
And there is something rather delightful about seeing two performers from different generations emerge from the same extended family and build completely separate identities in the film industry.
FROM BOLLYWOOD FAMILY HISTORY TO EMAAN’S BIG COMEBACK
The connection is particularly timely because Emraan is enjoying a major career moment with Awarapan 2, which arrived in theaters on August 14 as a sequel to his 2007 film.
The actor returns as Shivam Pandit, and the film has brought him back into the spotlight with strong box-office momentum.
He is also preparing for Gunmaaster G9, an action-romance musical that also stars Genelia D’Souza and Aparshakti Khurana. The movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters worldwide on November 27, 2026.
Meanwhile, Alia continues to be one of the most prominent Indian actors of her generation, giving this family connection an extra layer of charm.
The bigger story here is not simply that two famous actors are related.
It is that Bollywood, much like Hollywood, can contain generations of interconnected talent, actors, directors, producers and performers whose stories sometimes overlap in unexpected ways.
So the next time you watch an Emraan Hashmi or Alia Bhatt movie, there is a fun bit of Bollywood trivia to remember:
These two stars aren't just part of the same film industry — they are part of the same family tree.
