One of the most timeless actresses of Indian cinema today, Kareena Kapoor has always been at the forefront of Bollywood. Even through the rough patch in her career when there weren’t as many box-office successes, she still managed to stay relevant and at the top of her game. More than two decades later, she still continues to be one of the most sought-after actresses. Be it a serious role where she needs to go makeup-free or a commercial entertainer where she needs to glam up, Kareena always manages to turn heads.
Speaking of her film career, we can’t not talk about Jab We Met, directed by Imtiaz Ali. Jab We Met changed Kareena’s career trajectory forever, and it is a film that is relevant even 17 years after its release. But did you know that Kareena Kapoor was not the initial choice for the movie? Well, neither was Shahid Kapoor.
Imtiaz Ali first offered Jab We Me to Bobby Deol and Preity Zinta
Yes, the movie that marked the then real-life couple Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor’s last ever film collaboration was first offered to Bobby Deol and Preity Zinta.
While speaking to Galatta India, Imtiaz said, “He is one of the best friends I will ever have. So I was trying to make it with him. But it never got made to the extent that many years passed… Bobby was doing some other work, so I thought let it be, let’s not make this film together. We shook hands on that.”
As for the female lead, the filmmaker added, “I had also gone to Preity Zinta. Jab We Met was the most rejected film of my life. It was being rejected everywhere. It was when I narrated the film to Preity Zinta in her house, that she laughed. I thought she is laughing at me, mocking me! But she said it was really funny. So, I continued narrating. That was the first time somebody had complimented the film. So I owe it to her and whenever I meet her I give her a special hug and thank her that, You were the first person, who told me this film is ok. So Bobby and Preity Zinta is the pairing I wanted but it didn’t happen.”
Imtiaz then went on to cast Shahid and Kareena, and the rest is history! Cinephiles and Bollywood fans will always remember them as the OG Geet and Aditya Kashyap.
Jab We Met’s box-office collection
The movie was made on a reported budget of Rs 15 crore, which went on to earn Rs 50.9 crore at the box office worldwide. Several television reruns, theatrical re-releases and OTT releases later, Jab We Met is one of the most iconic and timeless movies of all time.
