21 April,2025 06:01 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Imtiaz Ali, Bobby Deol Pic/Instagram
Bollywood filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who directed the masterpiece Jab We Met, recalled the time he sacked Bobby Deol from the film, who was essentially trying to back him at the time. Imtiaz shed light on what happened after Bobby, in a recent interview, revealed he was hurt by their fallout.
Speaking to The Lallantop, Imtiaz recalled, "We planned to make Jab We Met with Bobby Deol. We commenced the movie, but Bobby was getting offers from big directors. So he kept waiting, and said, âWe will do after this, we will do after that. There came a time when I felt, 'Yeh theek nahi lag raha' (This doesn't seem right)."
Imtiaz further stated that a lot of time had passed, and he hadn't done a film for over 5 years. He wanted to step up financially and therefore told Bobby that they shouldn't make the film, and shake hands since it wouldn't be right to work together.
ALSO READ
When Pahalgam girls mistook AR Rahman for an electrician
Randeep Hooda expresses hurt over being left out of Highway promotions
'India has the oldest and most profound culture of storytelling. We learnt everything from storytelling - from the code of conduct to our belief system': Imtiaz Ali at India Global Forum's NXT25
Rockstar sequel in the works? Imtiaz Ali drops major hint
Have you heard? Tamannaah as female lead in Ranger; Baahubali re-release
Imtiaz's reaction came after Bobby told Instant Bollywood that he tried hard to make Jab We Met with Imtiaz and, in the process, reached out to a lot of people. He claimed that he was the one to get Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision on board, but the producers were hesitant to work with Imtiaz, who was more of a newcomer at the time.
Jab We Met revolves around Aditya Kashyap (Shahid Kapoor), a heartbroken tycoon, who aimlessly boards a train after attending his ex-girlfriend's wedding. On board, he meets Geet Dhillon (Kareena Kapoor), a spontaneous girl who plans to elope with her lover and gets pulled into her rollercoaster life, gradually falling in love with her as she shows him a more fulfilling and entertaining way of living.
Geet was a chatterbox, crazy young girl, and Aditya was the stark opposite. The well-known saying 'opposites attract' truly worked for the plot. The film's songs were also a hit. From 'Ye Ishq Hai' to 'Mauja Hi Mauja, 'Tum Se Hi' and 'Aaoge Jab Tum', every track from Jab We Met weaved magic. Over the years, the film has developed a cult status, and rumors keep circulating time and again about a possible sequel.
