Imtiaz Ali reveals this former Miss World was his initial choice for ‘Highway’, and this action-hero for ‘Rockstar’

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, John Abraham, Ranbir Kapoor Pic/AFP, Instagram

The 2014 film ‘Highway' was a sign of the marvellous work that was to come from Alia Bhatt. But she wasn't Imtiaz Ali's original choice. Join the director on the latest episode of Mid-day's Sit With Hitlist series as he reveals that he initially wanted a mature woman to lead the drama, but changed his mind after meeting Alia. ‘Highway' also featured actor Randeep Hooda.

Imtiaz met Alia at the screening of 'Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana' (2012) albeit he had not seen her debut film ‘Student of the Year'. He recalled, "I started talking to her and I realized that there's some warmth in her. Emotional quotient was very high and I was very drawn to talk to her and she was talking very nicely. I started to talk to her about deeper things about things like home, society, and sh't like that just to draw her out into that kind and I started to hear her true voice."

He added, "I always wanted to cast a slightly elder, 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. I didn't want a young person in the film, but after meeting her, I realized that what I was looking for was the emotional depth, which this little girl has."

Interestingly, former Miss World and acclaimed actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was his initial choice for the role. He said, "Aishwarya Rai without any makeup would be a great choice, but I didn't approach anybody."

Similarly, the film ‘Rockstar' done by Alia's now husband and actor Ranbir Kapoor was meant for John Abraham.

Imtiaz Ali said, "There are certain things that don't happen in life. So, you don't know how it would be if it had happened. If John had done that film, would it have affected him in some way as an actor or would he have taken a different route, we don't know."

'Rockstar' revolves around Janardhan Jakhar, played by Ranbir, a young man from Delhi who dreams of becoming a rockstar like his idol, Jim Morrison. He transforms and adopts the persona of Jordan when he meets Heer Kaul, played by Nargis Fakhri, a free-spirited girl with whom he falls in love. The movie portrays Janardhan's journey as he navigates through love, heartbreak, and fame in pursuit of his musical ambitions. It explores themes of passion, self-discovery, and the sacrifices one makes for their art.