May 21, 2026 10:00am IST
From “Highway” To “Alpha”: Why Imtiaz Ali And Sharvari Admire Alia Bhatt (EXCLUSIVE)
Imtiaz Ali and Sharvari have more in common than their upcoming release “Main Vaapas Aaunga,” which also stars Diljit Dosanjh and Vedang Raina. The two also share a deep admiration for Alia Bhatt.
Imtiaz directed Bhatt in “Highway,” widely regarded as one of her breakthrough performances, while Sharvari stars alongside her in the upcoming Yash Raj Films' spy thriller “Alpha.”
In a conversation with Variety India, both Ali and Sharvari open up about their fondness for Bhatt as an actor and as a person.
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Recalling his earliest interactions with Bhatt before “Highway,” Ali says, “She’s always been the same person, completely straight from the heart. I remember giving her the script to read when she was very young, and a lot of people were unsure whether she’d be able to pull it off. But I had seen something in her.”
He continues, “I asked her to call me after reading it. She said she’d call the next day, but she didn’t. Then another day passed, so finally I called her in the evening and asked, ‘Did you read the story?’ She said, ‘Yeah, I read it the same night you gave it to me. I even read it a few more times.’”
Ali recalls asking whether she liked the script. “She said, ‘I loved it.’ I still remember the way she said ‘loved.’ There was so much heart in it. That’s what her performances are like too. They come straight from the heart. She is deeply connected emotionally.”
Praising Bhatt’s instinctive understanding of human emotions, he adds, “That is the basis of her technique as an artist and also her personality. I don’t think people necessarily mature with age. She was always someone who could sense and understand the complexities and layers of human behavior. She doesn’t even think of them as complexities. She simply emotes them naturally. That’s a gift she was born with.”
Sharvari, meanwhile, got to know Bhatt much later during the making of “Alpha.”
“I got to know her when I started working with her on ‘Alpha,’” she says. “We had a long journey together on this film, from prep to shooting. The best way to put it is that I found a friend in her.”
Sharvari admits she initially approached Bhatt as a fan. “I was always this Alia Bhatt fangirl. I never imagined I’d be able to call her up and ask for help. In the beginning, I was very star struck.”
She adds, “But the best thing about her is that she instantly makes you feel like you’re on the same team. It was incredible watching a performer like her up close every single day, understanding her process and being able to ask for guidance.”
The actor said the experience only deepened her admiration for Bhatt. “I already loved her as a performer, but after this journey, I admire her even more for the person she has become.”
“Main Vaapas Aaunga” hits theaters on June 12.
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