‘As a director, you are always greedy to work with actors like Alia Bhatt’: Imtiaz Ali on hoping to reunite with ‘Highway’ star
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali opened up about his admiration for Alia Bhatt and why he hopes to collaborate with her again after their acclaimed film ‘Highway’. Speaking about the actor, Imtiaz praised her emotional sincerity and described her as someone who completely surrenders herself to a character. The filmmaker recalled memories from the making ‘Highway,’ where he first noticed Alia’s instinctive understanding of performance and filmmaking despite her youth at the time.“While we were shooting ‘Highway’, we were in very confined spaces when we were travelling. The camera would be somewhere and I would be lying on the floor or twisted in some corner in that truck. She would be performing, talking to somebody or singing,” he shared with NDTV.Imtiaz revealed that one particular quality about Alia stood out to him during the shoot. According to him, the actress would subtly adjust her position while performing so he could properly observe her expressions and emotions even in difficult shooting conditions. “She had this incredible tendency to tilt herself in standard ways so that I could also see her performance. She was very young then. She would get that little bit of an angle so that I could see her performance while she was performing,” he said.The director admitted he intentionally avoided discussing it with her at the time because he feared it might make her overly conscious during scenes. Later, he encouraged her to simply focus on the performance instead of worrying about whether he could see it.Talking about Alia’s growth as an actor after ‘Highway’, Imtiaz praised her ability to move effortlessly between commercial entertainers and emotionally layered films. “Alia is someone who operates from a very rare space of emotional honesty. When we did ‘Highway’, she was so young, but even then, her instinct was never to just act. It was always to completely surrender and feel the weight of the character,” he explained.The filmmaker pointed to films like ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ as examples of her range and adaptability as a performer.
Imtiaz Ali hints at another collaboration
Imtiaz also hinted that he would love to direct Alia again if the right script comes along. Calling himself “greedy” as a filmmaker, he explained that directors naturally want to work repeatedly with actors who are emotionally fearless on screen. “As a director, you are always greedy to work with actors who don’t hold back, who are willing to be raw and vulnerable on screen. We talk often, and there’s always a desire to find the right script to collaborate again,” he said.
Sharvari and Vedang Raina ‘s praise for Alia Bhatt
Actor Sharvari, who will soon share screen space with Alia in the spy thriller ‘Alpha’, also spoke about how inspiring the actress’ career journey has been for younger performers. “I think for our generation of actors, watching Alia’s trajectory is incredibly inspiring. The way she balances massive stardom with such brilliant, critically acclaimed performances is a masterclass in itself,” Sharvari stated.Meanwhile, Vedang Raina, who appeared alongside Alia in ‘Jigra’, praised the honesty she brings to every role. “There’s a certain truthfulness to her screen presence that hits you immediately as an audience member. It definitely sets a benchmark for what you want to achieve when you’re just starting out in your career,” he said.
Imtiaz Ali’s upcoming movie
On the work front, Imtiaz Ali is currently gearing up for the release of ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’, featuring Vedang Raina, Sharvari, Diljit Dosanjh and Naseeruddin Shah. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on June 12.
