Imtiaz Ali has revealed that Alia Bhatt was initially rejected by Highway’s unit to be cast for the movie, but her narration changed everyone’s judgement quickly.
Sitting with Mashable India, he said, “Alia was a very unexpected actor for Highway and the unit was not convinced about how she would do this role.”
“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,” the director added.
In the same interview, he also touched on the Dear Zindagi lead’s capability as an actor by explaining how Highway was originally planned.
“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,” Imtiaz expressed.
He went on, “I had not watched SOTY. I met her when she came to watch Love Shuv Tey Chiken Khurana. There is grace and beauty to her and a lot of emotional potential, so I asked her if she would read the script I was sending.”
It was 2013. Around that time, Imtiaz was soaring with the success one hit after another. He had given Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal, Rockstar, and Cocktail to audiences.
Naturally, no one would have thought twice before taking on a project with him, but Alia did.
“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,” the filmmaker recalled.
Cut two a year later, Alia received a huge round of applause for her work in Highway, winning several nominations and awards.
Both its script as well as songs are fondly remembered to date.
