Imtiaz Ali Waited 2 Years To Cast Bobby Deol In ‘Jab We Met’, Shared Kareena Didn’t Get Him Replaced
Imtiaz Ali Waited 2 Years To Cast Bobby Deol In ‘Jab We Met’, Shared Kareena Didn’t Get Him Replaced
Jab We Met is a film that lives in our hearts rent-free. While some girls want to channel their inner ‘Geet’ and embrace self-love, others want to find their ‘Aditya’. However, the film, like any other blockbuster, had its fair share of controversies. This began with Bobby Deol revealing that he was the one who had curated the entire project. However, he was later replaced by Shahid Kapoor. The film’s director, Imtiaz Ali, also reflected back on what happened and cleared the air about what occurred during the casting of the film.
Imtiaz Ali revealed that he waited for Bobby Deol for two years before replacing him with Shahid Kapoor
Imtiaz Ali sat for an interview with Lallantop in 2023 and shared why he had to replace Bobby Deol from Jab We Met. The filmmaker narrates his side of the story and reveals that he wanted to make the film with Bobby, as they are really good friends. He added that he even waited for two years so the actor could finish his other projects. He stated:
“Socha Na Tha took five years to make and release. Meanwhile, I was trying to start a new film so Bobby was going to do Jab We Met. Then Socha Na Tha got over but I still didn’t make the film for two years because I wanted Bobby to start it.”
Imtiaz further added that despite waiting for an additional two years after the release of Socha Na Tha, Bobby Deol couldn’t align his schedule in a way that he could do the film. He added that because his last film took 5 years to make and then he waited for two more years, he was in a financial crunch. So, he had to recast the role. He was quoted saying:
“But he was getting other offers from big directors, so he was waiting for that to happen. He kept postponing my film, but then a time came when I didn’t find it correct because a lot of time went by. Because I did Socha Na Tha for five years and I didn’t do a film for two years after that, so it was putting financial strain on me. Then I told Bobby, ‘Let’s not make this film. Let’s shake our hands and decide we will not do this film together because then our thing will be affected.'”
Bobby Deol blamed Kareena Kapoor Khan for being replaced in Jab We Met
In 2017, Bobby sat for a conversation with HuffPost India and shared that Shri Ashtvinayak Studio wanted to sign him. He added that he told the studio to sign Imtiaz Ali as he knew that he had a script ready. Bobby also revealed that he even suggested Kareena Kapoor for the film.
However, the producers were hesitant as they felt Imtiaz would make an expensive film, while Kareena didn’t even want to meet Imtiaz. Nonetheless, they talked, and she agreed but stated she could only do the film after six months. Continuing the conversation, Bobby revealed how things changed and stated:
“Days passed. And suddenly I read that Ashtavinayak has signed Imtiaz for Jab We Met and Kareena is doing the film. And she had gotten her then-boyfriend, Shahid Kapoor to act opposite her. I was like, wow. Quite an industry. We were also to do Highway together but he again did his own thing. But I have no hard feelings against him. He is a great director and doing so well. We’re still friends. But I always tell him: ‘Imtiaz, I won’t watch any of your films until you make one with me. That’ll be your best film.'”
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What are your thoughts on Imtiaz Ali casting Shahid Kapoor for ‘Aditya’ in Jab We Met instead of Bobby Deol?
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