The 27-year-old actor was worried that he would turn out to be a mere face in the sleuth film and had to be convinced about the script by Dia Mirza and Sahil Sangha, who are producing the movie.
"It took a lot of convincing from Dia and Sahil to get me on board this film. I had my own questions regarding the film, my role and where I would fit in a movie which has a female protagonist," Ali told PTI.
The film, which will hit theatres this Friday, centres around Vidya's character Bobby, who wants to become the best detective in Hyderabad. Ali says although the film's title suggests that it is a detective movie, the core story is about relationships and aspirations.
"There is a romantic story that runs parallel as the film is about relationships. It is about a girl who is trying to get out of the mundane, conservative life and this boy who is trying to move to a big city. My character brings out the coy side of Vidya's character, who is like a 'gundi'," he said.
"While we were shooting I never felt like she is older to me. She is like a child... An energy ball in herself. She would just light up the scenes we did. She is a great actress and I think it is because of her that my performance was better," Ali said.