EXCLUSIVE: Karan Johar calls Alia Bhatt a 'fantastic actor', says Highway 'cemented her career'
Karan Johar opened up about working with Alia Bhatt in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and mentioned that it was the film Highway that shaped her as an actor. Read on to know more.
Karan Johar’s recent directorial film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani featured Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. The family entertainer was a huge hit. Karan Johar who had launched Alia Bhatt with the film titled Student Of The Year, alongside Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra, recently sat for an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla and revealed his experience of working with the actress after so many years in the film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. He further went on and call her a "fantastic actor" and mentioned that it was not Student of The Year, but it was the film Highway that shaped her as an actor.
Karan Johar on working with Alia Bhatt in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
During an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Karan Johar mentioned that he hasn’t worked with many actors. He further opened up on working with Alia Bhatt in his recent family drama Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani which also starred Ranveer Singh in the lead role. The filmmaker recalled how the actress has evolved as an actor over the years since her debut film Student of The Year alongside Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra, directed by Karan himself.
Heaping praise on Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar said, “When I directed Alia on Rocky Aur Rani, I felt I’d never directed her before, because the Alia on Student of The Year was a different actor. The Alia Bhatt who faced the camera as Rani Chatterjee in Rocky Aur Rani was like, I was like, ‘Who taught you to be this brilliant? Like it wasn’t me.’”
Karan Johar says it was Highway and not Student of The Year that shaped Alia Bhatt as an actor
Karan further continued the conversation and referred to Alia Bhatt as his “firstborn” and also mentioned that it wasn’t Student of the Year that shaped her as an artist, but it was the film Highway that did the magic. Calling Alia a “fantastic actor”, Karan said, “Student of The Year was her professional launch, her emotional launch but her true career launch is Highway."
He added, "That truly cemented her career as an artist. It wasn’t Student of The Year, I promise I had taught her nothing. I taught her to maybe look glamorous, but that wasn’t a prerequisite to being a great artist."
"So when I directed her I was like ‘Oh my God she’s fantastic,’ and I don’t know how this happened. She’s just become this fantastic actor,” the filmmaker concluded.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was released on July 28, this year.