PremiumAlia Bhatt was NOT Imtiaz Ali’s first choice in Highway; because she was ...
Imtiaz Ali shared in a recent interview that Alia was not his first choice for the character of Veera, as the movie revolved around a mature subject. Here's how he was convinced to cast her...
Last Updated: 08.17 PM, Mar 15, 2024
Alia Bhatt, the Bollywood powerhouse performer, turns 31 today. She made a remarkable name for herself at a young age for her impeccable performances in multiple projects and roles. Not everyone has the talent to deliver a superlative performance in the second film of their career, but Alia managed to do that with Imtiaz Ali’s Highway. Recently, the director shared that he was actually sceptical about casting her initially because of Alia’s young age. But he was convinced later. Here’s the story of Highway before it became a critical success.
Why Alia Bhatt was not Imtiaz Ali's first choice for Highway
Imtiaz Ali is a highly acclaimed filmmaker who is known for creating solid plotlines and in-depth characters. The filmmaker shared in a recent interview that Alia was not his first choice for the character of Veera, as the movie revolved around a mature subject. He told Mashable India that he wanted to cast someone who was over 30 years old.
What made Imtiaz Ali change his mind?
Imtiaz revealed that, despite Alia's young age (she was 21 at the time), he was able to see potential in her. The Jab We Met director also shared that at that time he had not even seen Alia’s performance in Student of the Year. Alia had debuted in 2012 with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, alongside two other newcomers, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan. Two years later, she received the role of Veera Tripathi in Highway.
“Alia was young, but I could see potential in her. I had not watched Student of the Year 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 she has a lot of emotional potential. So I asked her if she would read the script I was sending,” Imtiaz Ali added.
Recalling Alia's reaction after reading the script, Imtiaz shared that she was overwhelmed with the offer but also expressed that it was “too much to do.”
The filmmaker went on to reveal that even the team for Highway was not convinced that Alia could pull off the role, so in that way, she was a "very unexpected actor for Highway." Imtiaz used a genius trick to convince his team: he asked Alia to tell the story of Highway in her own way. And that was all it took to get her onboard.
Veera in Highway
Highway follows the life of Veera, who experiences emotional healing when she gets kidnapped (by Randeep Hooda) just before her wedding. The movie’s heavy narrative of child abuse made Veera’s character a challenging role. However, Alia gave her best to the role and it turned out to be her breakthrough role. She even won the Best Actress Critic award for it.