MUMBAI: Alia Bhatt will be seen portraying a powerful role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming film Gangubai Kathiawadi. The actress plays a social activist in the film, which also stars Ajay Devgn, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh and Shantanu Maheshwari. Alia Bhatt might have made her acting debut with Karan Johar's Student Of The Year in 2012, but she established herself as an actor with her second film, Highway (2014). Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film paved the way for Alia in Bollywood.

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Alia Bhatt's Veera was a wild child in Highway - with unkempt hair and dull clothes - held captive by Mahabir Bhati (Randeep Hooda). Yet the varied shades of her performance lept out of the screen. Highway was indeed a befitting response to those who criticised her for SOTY. Through Veera, we saw Alia Bhatt blossom into an actress par excellence.

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Imtiaz Ali was returning to direction with Highway after a gap of two years. His earlier film was the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Rockstar, which received mixed reviews. Highway was the remake of an episode of Zee TV's Rishtey, also directed by Imtiaz Ali, and starred Aditya Srivastava and Kartika Rane. The filmmaker later said that the story stayed with him for 15 years and "there was something in it that didn't die".

Credit: India Today