10 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
Last updated on - Feb 21, 2018, 14:02 ISTShare fbsharetwsharepinshare
01/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
‘Highway’ was a beautiful film which starred Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda in lead roles. The film was based on Stockholm syndrome. The most interesting fact about this film is that there were no scripts. Director Imtiaz Ali traveled to different locations and wrote the script during the journey. The director wanted to tell a real-life story about a boy and girl’s journey, as the story depicts that Alia Bhatt gets kidnapped by Randeep Hooda while she goes on a drive with her fiancé and stops at a gas station where she gets kidnapped and then later travels with Randeep Hooda throughout the country. Alia Bhatt’s performance was appreciated by everyone as she played the kidnap victim without make-up and without food and water when her character was shown to be gagged and confined. Here are 10 more unknown facts about ‘Highway’ film.
02/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
The film is based on Stockholm syndrome. It is a condition that causes hostages to develop a psychological alliance with their captors as a survival strategy during captivity. These feelings, resulting from a bond formed between captor and captives during intimate time spent together, are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims. Generally speaking, Stockholm syndrome consists of strong emotional ties that develop between two persons where one person intermittently harasses, beats, threatens, abuses, or intimidates the other. Alia Bhatt also develops this while traveling with Randeep Hooda. She develops a strong bond with the actor and towards the end of the film Alia leaving the house and going to live in the mountains. She starts her own factory, buys a house and lives there. The film ends with Alia looking at the mountains, then the sky. Closing her eyes, she sees her nine-year-old self-playing happily on the hillside. A boy (Mahabir) joins her. She watches them play, making peace with both the man she loved and their mutual childhood forms.
03/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
‘Highway’ was Alia Bhatt’s second film as she had just done her first film in the year 2012. ‘Student of the Year’ was her first film apart from her role in ‘Sangharsh’ in 2012; she had a cameo in this film. Randeep Hooda made his Hindi film debut with Mira Nair's ‘Monsoon Wedding’, which garnered praise for his performance. A turning point came in his career when he starred in the commercially successful ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai’, and was subsequently noted for his performance in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster’.
04/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
The film was moved to 21 February 2014.The trailer for the film was released on 16 December 2013. On 20 February 2014, a day prior to the film's release, the film had a special screening that was attended by Pooja Bhatt, Mahesh Bhatt, Imtiaz Ali, Shazahn Padamsee, Mukesh Bhatt, Bhushan Kumar, and Rekha. The film was brilliant one as it the team had finished shooting for the film in just 56 days. The film was shot in six states and the director made sure to visit each location before filming the scenes. "There's a story in you for years, a world you can't wait to get into - that's 'Highway', said Imtiaz Ali.
05/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
Imtiaz Ali said that earlier he was looking out for an older actress to match up with Hooda. However, the role went to Alia Bhatt that made an effect on his film script. Imtiaz Ali added, "I needed somebody who is city slick girl (Alia Bhatt), who has never been out. But the guy (Randeep Hooda) had to be somebody who has had a life and understanding of life".
06/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
The film was originally planned without any songs. But when A R Rahman heard the story he expressed a desire to be part of the project. Imtiaz Ali stated that he wasn’t even thinking of A.R. Rahman to score for this film. However, after reading the script Rahman agreed to score. In yet another interview Ali stated, he and Rahman were in touch through Skype and Rahman enquired about Ali's new project and wanted to collaborate with Ali deciphered the outline of the story.
07/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
The total budget of ‘Highway’ is Rs 8.5 crore. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala got so insecure about the low budget costs of production that he would constantly inquire if all the payments were being made during the shooting. In spite of being shot in several locations, the film was made with a low budget. There was no script the dialogues were improvised on the spot while filming the scenes. Director Imtiaz Ali traveled to all the locations, that’s where he developed the whole story and wrote the script.
08/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
'Highway' is a remake of Imtiaz Ali’s own television film series which he made 14 years ago. Imtiaz says he needed more space and a larger canvas to tell the story. Imtiaz Ali had said, "Some years ago, I made a half-hour episode for a TV series and that's where I first got a hint for this story. And over time, it changed form and genres until I just gave up. And then it all settled down to this journey of two characters. As for the central female lead, I thought I would cast someone with some experience of life, someone who had probably been through some relationships.” While penning the script he stated he had to change many scenes of the film because he felt they were becoming too similar to his previous film, ‘Jab We Met’. He also said that the film was his first digital film.
09/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
Imtiaz Ali told producer Sajid Nadiadwala that all he really wanted to do was to tell a real story of a journey undertaken by a man and a woman with a past. The script was written during the journey. Ali stated, "I also didn't go for a large camera setup such as cranes and dollies. I wanted the cameras to be easily transported as we were shooting in difficult locations such as mountains. So if I thought the shot would look better from a higher angle, we could move the equipment faster than if we had a heavy setup." Officially, the shooting was wrapped up on 28 May 2013.
10/1110 Interesting facts about the film ‘Highway’
Cinematographer Anil Mehta shot the film all across various locations in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir in just 60 days. Imtiaz Ali said that the film was a journey of Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda who travel around 6 states. Imtiaz Ali said, “The film is about the discovery of yourself while traveling. It’s a coming-of-age movie.” Prior to the shooting he didn't complete scripting for the film and the script got ready after the shooting of the scenes because the dialogues were decided on the spot. He further added, "For instance, when we were on the top of snow mountains in Himachal Pradesh, I wanted to be open to what nature suggested and the impulses the actors gave me, rather than stick to what I had written, sitting in a room in Mumbai. The film was made on the way, on the go. I had to have very suitable, good actors and a low maintenance crew." Initially, the director planned to shoot along Bengal-Bihar-Odisha highway road belt but later opted to shoot along the road highways of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir, making the film first of its kind to shoot such. Scenes were shot in Kuchaman valley where the sand dunes provided the terrain transitions that were necessarily required. In mid-April 2013, the crew was off to Gurais, Kashmir to shoot a song and some sequences in the valley. Scenes in Aru valley and Chandanwari near Pahalgam in South Kashmir were also canned. By early May 2013, nearly seventy percent of the filming was completed. Although the entire shooting was planned for 60 days the team finished the same in 52 days.
