It’s been a decade since the Alia Bhatt-Randeep Hooda starrer ‘Highway’ was released, and the film is still fondly remembered for its riveting storyline and the unconventionally beautiful chemistry between the lead actors. A few months ago, in an interview, director Imtiaz Ali revealed a truly interesting fact about this road drama film. He revealed how he used to write the dialogues for the critically acclaimed film after reaching the sets. Here’s what Imtiaz Ali had to say…
In an interview with Roshan Abbas on his YouTube channel, Imtiaz Ali reflected on the process of making ‘Highway’. “The thought of being able to compete with new directors led me to make ‘Highway’. There was no light in the film, except for one or two sequences. There was no light, no trolley, there was just a camera on a stick and, this time, I also did not write the dialogues or the script. It was just like 20–25 pages of basic stuff. The scenes were not written. We used to reach the location, and then I would write the scene, and we would shoot it,” Imtiaz Ali shared.
“Sometimes, I am taking Alia to the hill with no scene written. One of the challenges was to get to the location. You can’t get to the best places in this country with heavy equipment. So, we took cameras and lugged the actors there. Randeep and Alia both would climb the mountains. Alia would ask me, ‘Sir, bolna kya hai? (What are the dialogues?)’ I would tell her, ‘I don’t know. Let’s get there, and by the time we are there, you will know,” Imtiaz Ali further added.
‘Highway’ was released worldwide 10 years ago on February 21, 2014, and the intriguing plot of the movie revolves around the character of ‘Veera’, played by Alia Bhatt, and her kidnapper, ‘Mahabir’, played by Randeep Hood, as the pair take on an unusual road trip filled with twists, turns, and self-discovery. One of the most memorable parts of the film for me personally was the music by A. R. Rahman. ‘Patakha Guddi’ sung by the Nooran sisters and ‘Maahi Ve’ sung by A. R. Rahman are, to date, the most played songs in my music library.
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