Why did Ranbir Kapoor call Imtiaz Ali a traitor?

Ranbir Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali are two of the finest talents in Hindi cinema, and they’ve proven themselves over the years. The first time they worked together was for Rockstar, which delivered magic at the box office. Their second collaboration was Tamasha with Deepika Padukone. Though Tamasha has since achieved cult status and is passionately discussed by fans, it did not perform well at the box office upon release.

However, not many people know that Ranbir had actually recommended Alia Bhatt’s name for Tamasha. In a clip that has recently gone viral on the internet, Imtiaz is seen in conversation with Alia and Ranbir during the promotion of Highway. In the clip, Ranbir, speaking to Alia, said, “Actually, I had recommended your name to Imtiaz for a film I’m doing with him, and he’s actually a traitor as he cast you for Highway instead.”

Interestingly, Imtiaz had originally been looking for an older actress for Highway, but Ranbir pushed him to meet Alia. At the time, Imtiaz had already met Alia when she was five years old and was unsure of how much she had grown or how good of an actress she had become, as this was before the release of Student of the Year. However, when Imtiaz bumped into Alia at a function she attended with her mother, their conversation convinced him to cast her in Highway.
The film, which also featured Randeep Hooda in the lead, did decent business at the box office, earning Rs 30 crore in India.