New Delhi: Imtiaz Ali has made many great films, one of which is ‘Highway’. Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda are in the lead roles in the film. Alia Bhatt performed better than expected in the film, but the director initially did not want to cast her. When he met Alia Bhatt at the screening of the film ‘Luv Shav Te Chicken Khurana’, his opinion about the actress changed.
Imtiaz Ali revealed that he initially wanted to cast Aishwarya Rai instead of Alia Bhatt. The director said in an interview to Mid-Day that he had envisioned the lead character as a mature woman, not a young actress like Alia. When he met Alia at the screening of ‘Luv Shuv Te Chicken Khurana’, he was mesmerized by her vivaciousness and emotional depth.
Imtiaz Ali said, ‘Her emotional strength was immense and I was impressed talking to her.’ As she started talking about deeper subjects like home and society, Imtiaz started to see her true understanding. He realised that the emotional depth he wanted in Veera could actually be portrayed by the ‘young girl’ in front of him.
Alia Bhatt was seen with Randeep Hooda in ‘Highway’.
My thinking changed after meeting Alia Bhatt
Imtiaz Ali admitted that he wanted to cast an older actress for the role. It could have been someone like Aishwarya Rai. However, he never approached anyone else after meeting Alia. The director said, ‘Aishwarya Rai without makeup would have been a good choice, but I did not approach anyone.’
When Sanjay Leela Bhansali met Aishwarya Rai at an award function
50-year-old star Aishwarya Rai was last seen in ‘Ponniyin Selvan 2’. She may not be active in films today. It is said that Sanjay Leela Bhansali saw Aishwarya Rai for the first time when he reached an award function. He was overwhelmed by her beauty as soon as he saw her. The director decided at that very moment that he would cast her in the role of Nandini in his film ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’.
Aishwarya Rai, Alia Bhatt
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 18, 2024, 06:56 IST
