Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali recently shared a captivating story about the creation of his film Highway. He revealed that it was renowned filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt who persuaded his daughter, actress Alia Bhatt, to accept the role in the movie. Ali also talked about his casting approach for his film Jab We Met.
Imtiaz Ali reveals Mahesh Bhatt convinced Alia Bhatt to take on the role in Highway: “Alia Bhatt doubted whether she would be able to do it since it wasn’t an easy film to take on”
In a conversation on the Game Changers podcast, Imtiaz Ali shared that Mahesh Bhatt played an important role in convincing Alia Bhatt to take on the role in Highway. Although Alia was a newcomer at the time, her father persuaded her to embrace the challenging part. Ali also mentioned that he had initially intended to cast a more experienced actor before meeting Alia.
He stated, “There is no arithmetic in our work; it’s an instinctive process. I thought I would cast a 30-year-old, mature actor for Highway someone who had seen the world and would rebel. But when I met Alia, I thought, ‘This is the girl.’ Alia was just 18 at that time, but she had the emotional depth the character needed. She hadn’t done much work then, and I hadn’t even seen her film Student of the Year, but the way she spoke it was very charming. She had a quality about her that was fantastic for this part.”
Imtiaz continued, “I used to go to her house, and Bhatt Sahab was trying to convince her to do it. She was a bit scared because every scene had her in it. She doubted whether she would be able to do it since it wasn’t an easy film to take on.”
For Jab We Met, Ali revealed that Kareena was his first choice for the role. He explained, “When I am writing, there is a figure in my mind. When you meet people, they match the spirit of the character. I always wanted Kareena for Jab We Met. Initially, this wasn’t happening, but then she came in to do the film. She was my first choice to play Geet.”
On the work front, Alia was most recently seen in Vasan Bala’s Jigra, where she starred alongside Vedang Raina.
Also Read : Imtiaz Ali admits Love Aaj Kal sequel “lacked freshness”; says, “The ease of the film was compromised”
More Pages: Highway Box Office Collection , Highway Movie Review
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