Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; February 12, 2014)

Imtiaz Ali’s film Highway, that stars Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda, will have its world premiere at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival on February 14. And while Alia and Hooda are understandably excited about the trip, Alia has another reason to look forward to the Berlin visit. The actress reveals that her grandparents hail from Germany and this being her first trip to Berlin, it holds a special significance.

Says the actress, “I have a rather emotional and unique connection with Berlin and for me, it's just incredible that Highway is premiering there. Not many know this but my grandmother is a German and was born there.’’

The actress adds that her maternal grandfather used to run an underground newspaper against Hitler. “When the authorities found about it, he was imprisoned for two years and my maternal grandmother and mother (Soni Razdan) then crossed the border to Czechoslovakia before heading to England,” she recollects.

The actress plans to share her Berlin connection with the audiences there. She says, “In 1948, my Kashmiri grandfather, who was studying architecture in London, came to Berlin as a member of world famous dancer Ram Gopal’s troupe. A 19 year old, he played the violin for the latter and while in Berlin, he performed at the Schiller Theatre. Back then, Berlin had been reduced to just rubble. So yes, I share this incredible connection with Berlin,” she says.