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Not Alia Bhatt, Aishwarya Rai was Imtiaz Ali's first choice for Highway; here's what happened
Before Alia Bhatt, Imtiaz Ali wanted to cast Aishwarya Rai in Highway opposite Randeep Hooda. The two actors later worked together in Sarbjit (2016).
Imtiaz Ali’s Highway played an important role in unleashing Alia Bhatt’s potential as an actor and turned out to be a breakthrough for her after debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year. However, the filmmaker once revealed that Alia was not the first choice for the film.
(Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan gives marriage counselling to Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt in new video, she threatens to ‘dhop' husband)
Imtiaz Ali wanted to cast Aishwarya Rai in Highway
Earlier, in an interview with Mid-Day, Imtiaz Ali revealed that he initially wanted to cast an older actress for the role and thought Aishwarya Rai would have been a good choice. He said, “I always wanted to cast a slightly elder actress, like a woman of at least 30. I didn’t want to cast a more mature woman who’s had experiences of the type that she was going to talk about in the film. Aishwarya Rai without any makeup would be a great choice.”
How Alia Bhatt bagged Highway
However, he changed his mind after meeting Alia Bhatt at the screening of Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana. He said, “Her emotional quotient was very high, and I was drawn to talk to her.” He also revealed how film’s unit was not convinced with Alia Bhatt’s potential to carry the film. However, after he made Alia read the script and tell the story in her own way, everyone was convinced “nobody else could do this but Alia.”
Highway was Alia Bhatt’s second film after Student of The Year. The film also starred Randeep Hooda in key role. However, despite receiving positive reviews and immense praise on the cast' performances, the film turned out to be a moderate success at the box office.
Alia Bhatt's last release, Jigra, failed to perform well at the box office. The actor will be next seen in YRF Spy Universe film Alpha alongside Sharvari. Alpha will be the a part of Aditya Chopra's spy universe, which includes Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, War, Pathaan, and Tiger 3. Alia also has Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War in the pipeline, wherein she will sharing the screen with Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal.
