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Bobby Deol says he was “really upset” after being ousted from Jab We Met, despite pitching it to Imtiaz Ali and Kareena Kapoor.
Bobby Deol was dropped from Jab We Met.
Years after Sunny Deol revealed he was sidelined from Darr for Shah Rukh Khan, his brother Bobby Deol is now opening up about being dropped from one of Bollywood’s most iconic films—Jab We Met. In a new interview, Bobby recalled how he was “really upset” after being abruptly removed from the project, despite initiating its early development with Kareena Kapoor Khan and director Imtiaz Ali.
Speaking to Instant Bollywood, Bobby shared how he first discovered the script while watching a rush print of Socha Na Tha, which Imtiaz was directing with Bobby’s cousin Abhay Deol. Impressed, Bobby urged Imtiaz to write a film for him, which eventually evolved into Jab We Met. “I tried really hard to make that film (Jab We Met) happen; I reached out to a lot of people,” he said.
Bobby claimed that he played a major role in bringing production house Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision on board. The producers, he said, were interested in working with him but hesitant about backing Imtiaz, who was still relatively new at the time. Bobby pushed for the collaboration and successfully convinced them to give the director a shot.
He also reached out to Kareena Kapoor Khan through a contact to offer her the lead role, but she initially declined. Preity Zinta was also approached, but turned it down, saying she would consider it at a later time.
However, despite his involvement in setting the wheels in motion, Bobby was ultimately dropped from the project. Kareena changed her mind, and the role eventually went to Shahid Kapoor, forming a duo that would go on to create one of Bollywood’s most cherished romantic films.
“It can be tough in the industry; I was really upset about it at the time,” Bobby recalled. Still, he didn’t express any resentment towards Imtiaz, suggesting that the director had to make a difficult choice for the film’s success.
Now, with buzz around a possible Jab We Met 2, Bobby’s revelation raises an interesting question—will he finally get his due in the sequel? Only time will tell if Bollywood offers him that full-circle moment he once lost.
