Karan Johar pens appreciation post for Alia and Ranveer

Ace filmmaker Karan Johar on Tuesday penned a long appreciation post for the lead cast of his film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Alia Bhatt, and Ranveer Singh.

Taking to Instagram, Karan shared a new selfie with both the actors.

About Alia, KJo wrote in his caption, "Before the year wraps, I felt like sharing this with all of you...I hadn't directed Alia since 2012 and the day she walked onto set In her @manishmalhotra05 plus @mickeycontractor plus Flavian look I knew we had the Rani I had always envisaged .... What followed was an actor I wasn't prepared for.... And I can take zero credit ... will always be grateful to Imtiaz Ali for taking her on a highway of life and moulding her into the actor she finally became."

He also wrote that Alia's true launch as an artist will always be Highway.

"SOTY is technically her launch but her true launch as an artist will always be Highway... Alia is such a pride and pleasure on a film set... She had a ticking mind constantly questioning Rani and trying her best to make her strong yet identifiable and likable... again for that I take no credit that is her evolution as an artist! Was blessed to have her as Rani Chatterjee and I do hope her character keeps resonating .... Love you @aliaabhatt," he added.

About Ranveer, Karan Johar shared how the Gully Boy actor prepared for his role in 'Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani'.

The caption reads, "Ranveer Singh! The irreplaceable force of nature... The actor prepares and never comes in your way ... he never ever let me know the extent he was prepping to play Rocky Randhawa... he planned his prep with my team, spent months in Delhi, hung out in west Delhi, met the West Delhi gram boys, worked on his dialect like an obsessed artist! Kept improvising dialogues till it reached perfection for him ... I saw this as a bystander, a filmmaker in awe, and was blown away by his process (which initially can be daunting but when you see the dailies you're sold and he's won your heart) I feel like the perception of RS is so different from his labour and passion as a true artist! You see designer clothes on magazine covers I see a hungry actor only seeking love and validation from his audiences! ROCKY RANDHWA and RANVEER were irreplaceable! (styled impeccably by @ekalakhani) No one could have done what he did! Absolutely No one."

" I feel grateful for him and Alia! The three of us also built a friendship for the ages as a trio! This is not just an appreciation post as a filmmaker but a post of gratitude to the universe that bought these blessed artists to play my leads! Karan Johar this side ... signing off! @aliaabhatt @ranveersingh #rockyaurranikiipremkahaani," the post concluded.

Helmed by Karan Johar, the film also starred Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi in the lead roles and was declared a hit.

Meanwhile, Ranveer will be next seen in director Farhan Akhtar's next directorial film Don 3 which will hit the theatres in 2025.

Whereas, Alia will be next seen in the film Jee Le Zaraa alongside Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif and also in director Vasan Bala's upcoming film Jigra.

Karan, on the other hand, has still not announced his next project.