Imtiaz Ali Shares Insights on ‘Highway’ at IFFI

Director Imtiaz Ali recently discussed the evolving portrayal of gender in cinema and the critical need for creating safe spaces for women working on film sets. Speaking at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, Ali reflected on his two decades in the industry emphasizing the “deep level of respect” he has witnessed for women in Bollywood. He shared that during his career, he had to send crew members home on three separate occasions for inappropriate behavior. Recalling one such instance on the sets of ‘Highway’, which starred Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda, Imtiaz mentioned that the film was shot on a remote rural highway with no proper vanity vans available. In 2013, Alia had to change clothes and take care of personal needs in public and inconvenient spots. Imtiaz further revealed that he had to remove a crew member from the project after he made the inappropriate decision to hover around Alia during such moments. This was not an isolated case as Imtiaz explained that similar incidents occurred a few times throughout his career. However, he now observes a significant shift saying, “Actresses are really safe on the sets. It’s not like that anymore,” highlighting the positive changes that have taken place on film sets over the years.