Imtiaz Ali Reveals REAL Reason Why Bobby Deol Was Removed From Jab We Met: 'Voh Wait Kar Raha Tha'

News18

21-04-2025

Imtiaz Ali said Bobby Deol was considering offers from other directors and making him wait.
Bobby Deol recently revealed he was 'really upset" after being abruptly removed from Jab We Met, despite initiating its early development with Kareena Kapoor Khan and director Imtiaz Ali. Amid this, an old interview of Imtiaz Ali is doing the rounds on social media. While speaking to The Lallantop, Imtiaz recalled why Bobby was left out of the film.
Imtiaz Ali said, 'Jab We Met ko Bobby Deol ke saath banane ka plan kar raha tha. Start kari picture but usko kuch aur offers mil rahe the, kuch bade directors ke saath. Toh voh wait kar raha tha. Keh raha tha ki iske baad kar lenge, uske baad kar lenge. Toh, karte karte ek aisa waqt aagaya jo mujhe laga ki ab yeh theek nahi lag raha. "
Imtiaz added, 'Bohot waqt beet chuka hai kyuki vaise bhi, 5 saal tak maine ek hi film ki hai. Uske baad bhi ek do saal tak main kuch nahi kar raha tha. Toh matlab financially and even in life, you want to do things. Toh maine bola Bobby yeh film nahi banate hain. Let us decide this today. Let us shake our hands ki film nahi banate kyuki humara ek doosre ke saath sahi nahi rahega."
Imtiaz's interview has resurfaced amid Bobby Deol's recent revelation of feeling hurt. 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 the 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.