Imtiaz Ali's ‘ Highway ,’ released in 2014, has long been regarded as a pivotal moment in Alia Bhatt's acting career, establishing her as one of Bollywood's most promising talents. However, in a recent interview, Imtiaz Ali revealed an intriguing detail about the casting of the film - Alia Bhatt wasn’t his first choice for the role of Veera Tripathi . Initially, Imtiaz Ali envisioned Veera as a character that would be best portrayed by a more mature actress.
Top Picks For You Imtiaz Ali, Kabir Khan, Onir's anthology 'My Melbourne' has a star-studded premiere His original concept leaned toward casting someone like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan , who he believed could bring the depth and authenticity needed for the role, even without the glitz and glamour often associated with Bollywood stars. “Aishwarya Rai without any makeup would be a great choice,” Ali mentioned during his conversation with Mid-Day, explaining his thought process behind the character. However, fate had other plans.
Imtiaz Ali recounted an unexpected encounter with Alia Bhatt at the screening of ‘Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana,’ which would ultimately change his entire approach to casting the role of Veera. During this meeting, Ali was struck by Alia's emotional intelligence and the genuine warmth she exuded. “Her emotional quotient was very high, and I was drawn to talk to her,” he shared.
Their conversation ventured into deeper themes, such as home and society, and it was during this exchange that.