Imtiaz Ali Reveals Alia Bhatt Was Not The First Choice For Highway: "I Wanted Someone Above 30"

Highway was released in February 2014

It would not be wrong to say that Highway featured one of the finest performances of Alia Bhatt's career. The Imtiaz Ali directorial featured the actress as a young bride-to-be, who is kidnapped by a local gangster, played by Randeep Hooda. Recently, in an interview with Mashable India, Imtiaz Ali shared how Alia was not the first choice for the film. He said, “During Highway, I always thought I would cast an older actress. Since it was a mature subject I wanted someone who was above 30. Alia was young, but I could see potential in her. I had not watched Student Of The Year by then. I met Alia when she came to watch the movie Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana with her mother. There is grace and beauty to her as an actor and a lot of emotional potential. So I asked her if she would read the script I was sending.”

Imitiaz Ali added, “She did not call me for 2 days after that, so I called her and asked if she read the script. She was a bit overwhelmed and felt it was too much to do. She had an issue that she was there in every scene. Alia was a very unexpected actor for Highway and the unit was not convinced about how she would do this role. So, to convince them I made her tell the story in her way. By the end, everyone was like nobody else could do this role but Alia.”

In 2013, Alia Bhatt opened up about how Highway helped her to connect with her inner self. The star said, “It helped me to connect with the person within me. My father (Mahesh Bhatt) always said the day an actor finds oneness with the person within is the day he or she becomes a true actor. I think I found that person during Highway. I don't know how much it helped me to grow as an actor, but the film got me to know things about myself that I didn't know.”

On the work front, Alia Bhatt was last seen in Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. On the other hand, Imtiaz Ali's Amar Singh Chamkila starring Diljit Dosanjh, will be released on Netflix on April 12.